Rangers host Panthers in another huge Eastern Conference battle
On Thursday, the New York Rangers made another push for the Presidents’ Trophy by beating the league-leading Bruins in Boston, 5-2. With the victory, they moved a point behind the B’s and will have a chance to surpass them on Saturday when they host the Florida Panthers.
It was a milestone night for coach Peter Laviolette reaching 1500 games behind an NHL bench, and Jonathan Quick tying Ryan Miller for most wins by a U.S. born goalie (391) and 15th all-time. However, the star of the night was Artemi Panarin setting a career high in points with 97 on the strength of a hat trick.
“You can tell he’s creating every time he’s on the ice,” Laviolette said following the victory in Boston. “Sometimes the more he plays, the better he gets, and so you just have to try and find him a little bit of ice time. A big game like this, and he really stepped up.”
New York swept their regular season-series 3-0-0 against the Bruins, but will be looking to avoid a sweep against the Panthers, who took both previous meetings.
Here’s today’s game and broadcast info:
New York Rangers (46-20-4) vs Florida Panthers (45-20-4)
Date/Time: March 23, 2024 @ 8:00 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
TV: ABC, ESPN+
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM
Note: Subject to change, updated for each game
Related: Colton Orr on why fans are embracing Matt Rempe
New York Rangers projected lineup
Here’s the expected lineup:
Kreider – Zibanejad – Roslovic
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Wennberg – Kakko
Vesey – Goodrow – Rempe
Gustafsson – Fox
Miller – Schneider
Jones – Ruhwedel
Shesterkin
Quick
Update: The New York Rangers will hold a 10:30 a.m. ET skate at the MSG Training Center. Head coach Peter Laviolette will address the media afterwards. Check back for updates.
New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers
The Rangers still lead the Metropolitan Division, although it is down to just one point (96 points) over the second-place Carolina Hurricanes (95 points), who lost in a shootout to the Washington Capitals on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers are two points behind the Blueshirts in the Presidents’ Trophy race with 94. They are also coming in angry having lost three in a row. It will be a tall task for the Panthers with the Rangers sporting a 24-9-0 record at home and winners of nine of their last 11 games at the Garden.
New York’s schedule in March has been brutal, but have fared well going 6-3-1 to date. It’s all the more impressive with key defensemen unable to play. Ryan Lindgren is out for a few weeks due to a lower-body injury sustained last Sunday against the Islanders and captain Jacob Trouba is still sidelined for at least one-two weeks with a lower-body injury of his own.
Upcoming Rangers Milestones
- Chris Kreider is 2 goals away from 300 in his career
- Artemi Panarin is 3 points away from 100 for the first time in his career
- Vincent Trocheck is 4 goals away from 200 in his career
- Adam Fox is 6 points away from 300 in his career
- Peter Laviolette is 2 wins away from 800 in his career
- Jonathan Quick is 1 win away from passing Ryan Miller (391) for most wins by an American-born goalie and sole possession of 15th all-time
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