On Thursday night, the New York Rangers faced the Florida Panthers for the first time of the 2024-25 National Hockey League (NHL) season in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final.
The Rangers had an opportunity to win their fourth straight game Thursday night and to do it against the team that knocked them out of the 2023-24 NHL playoffs. But that opportunity went by the wayside as the Florida Panthers came to Madison Square Garden and stymied the Rangers high-flying offense for 60 minutes, beating them by the score of 3-1.
The Rangers didn’t do themselves any favors in the early going giving up a centering pass to Anton Lundell in front of their goal just 44 seconds into the contest. Lundell scored easily on the turnover by defenseman Adam Fox to give Florida the early lead.
Two minutes later, the Panthers scored again when Carter Verhaeghe picked up a loose bouncing puck inside the offensive zone and ripped a snap shot that beat Igor Shesterkin to the far side.
At 4:44 gone by in the first period, Alexis Lafrenière received a pass in front of Florida’s net mouth from Adam Fox before dragging around Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and slipping the puck over the goal-line with his backhand to make it 2-1 with his fourth goal of the season.
The feed. The finish. No notes. pic.twitter.com/vYMXTSUoRk
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 24, 2024
Just 20 seconds after this, the Blueshirts had a chance to tie the game. Adam Edstrom won a battle for the puck along the boards inside the offensive zone before skating down the boards and passing to Jonny Brodzinski. Brodzinski strode in on a breakaway, made a deke that got Bobrovsky to go down but Bobrovsky was able to make a glove save. Shortly after this, Filip Chytil was able to escape a defenseman and go in on a semi-breakaway where he took a low wrist shot that was stopped by Bobrovsky.
Shesterkin answered the bell just shortly past the midway mark when Gustav Forsling darted into the Rangers zone, received a pass and took a wrist shot that he just got a piece of.
With just under five minutes to go in the first period, Sam Reinhart was given a penalty for hooking. On the ensuing power play, the Rangers strung four passes together and the fourth pass found Chris Kreider open in front of the net. Kreider wasted no time shoveling the puck at Bobrovsky, but the Russian goaltender was too quick for him sliding over to snuff out the danger.
The Rangers went on their second power play of the game at 10:55 of the second period when Verhaeghe was called for goaltender interference. However, New York could not even properly set up in the offensive zone because Florida was checking them so tightly and the power play amounted to nothing.
Then, two minutes after that Florida made the Rangers pay for not converting on the power play when Sam Bennett tipped in a shot from the point by Niko Mikkola which gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.
Florida took another penalty less than a minute into the third period. This time it was Dmitry Kulikov for high-sticking and the Rangers power play again failed to really threaten Bobrovsky.
Jacob Trouba was sent to the sin bin at 15:27 of the third period for hooking. On the ensuing Ranger penalty kill, Florida strung four passes together inside the offensive zone and Verhaeghe received the last one in front of the Ranger goal. He dragged to his backhand to slip the puck into what seemed to be an open net but Shesterkin was able to reach back with his glove and rob the Panthers forward.
With 3:03 to go in the game, Verhaeghe took the Panthers’ fourth penalty of the game when he cross checked Sam Carrick. The Rangers were down two goals and pulled their goalie to get a six-on-four man advantage. Despite this, they generated no meaningful offense and the Panthers held on to win their fifth game of the season by the score of 3-1.
After the game, Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, who assisted his team’s only goal of the night, spoke about the specifics behind why his team lost tonight.
I think definitely a lot of turnovers, we weren’t able to get the puck in their end. I thought we had some chances early on, then it kind of got away from us. I think if you’re not going to maintain possession in the offensive zone, if you’re not going to get second chances you don’t get any opportunities especially against a team like that.
It’s not like the Rangers didn’t have their opportunities. They had 4 power plays compared to Florida’s 2 and just couldn’t find a way to get their 9th-ranked power play clicking on all cylinders against a sharper Florida Panthers team.
When asked whether the Rangers struggles were self-inflicted, Rangers veteran Mika Zibanejad had this to say.
Most of it was tonight. The second half of the first period we started playing a little bit better, we got into the game, we started creating some chances. In the third, we were kind of hurting ourselves just from the breakouts to neutral zone. We don’t make them go the 200 feet. We made it too easy on them and that’s a good enough team to take advantage of that. That wasn’t good but at least we can look at it like it’s on us and we got to be ready for Saturday night.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette did not mince words when asked about how his team started the game.
I hated the start. Where we gave up the goals early like that. You’re playing a team that typically doesn’t give up much and you put yourself in the hole. Our best chances came in the first period, a couple on the power play but then after that it was not as dangerous. They had more jump than us tonight. They were quicker in the rush, they added the third man the fourth man to the rush all night and we weren’t there to defend it.”
On the goaltending, Laviolette said:
“He [Bobrovsky] made some good saves, I mean Shesty made huge saves too. Both goaltenders made huge saves. Probably closer to even after two periods but we just didn’t generate any in the third either. That’s not who we are, that’s not what we should accept. We’re better than that from start to finish.”
Laviolette even answered a question about the Rangers lacking emotion by saying “We didn’t have the pop we needed to beat that team, so I would agree with that.”
The Rangers will look to be better than they were tonight when they take the ice again on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks at the Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Garden.
