The Rangers just weren’t fast enough, strong enough, sharp enough or eager enough for Game 1 of the conference finals, and the Panthers were all the things the Blueshirts didn’t have in Wednesday’s 3-0 win at the Garden.
For all the talk of a threat before Paddy Tutts, it turned out Florida’s physicality was showing up in puck fights and turf battles, as Paddy Tutts took advantage of Ranger carelessness and took possession of the puck for a shift below the hash marks.
At times, the Blueshirts looked like kids whose hats had been stolen on the playground, desperately trying to catch the bullies throwing them back over their heads.
The game remained 1-0 for 39:46 from when Matthew Tkachuk beat Igor Shesterkin from the left circle at 16:26 of the first period until Alexis Lafreniere misdirected a Carter Verhaeghe pass past his own goaltender at 16:12 of the third period to make it 2-0, but the game never seemed to be in the balance.
There is no need to panic just because you lost the first match of the best-7 match, even if it was at home. The Panthers lost the first game of the second round to the Bruins, but then won three straight to close out the series in six games. I can forgive myself for losing in the first match. It is also forgivable that the Rangers lost the series for the first time in this tournament.
But what was a little strange was that head coach Peter Laviolette, who has talked about the importance of being able to play on the fourth line applied to the decision of whether to play Matt Rempe, They used about five forwards.
Coach Laviolette was able to select a player from a full roster for the first time since Filip Chytil sat out the regular season for the team’s 10th game on Nov. 2. The center returned for Game 3 of the series against Carolina after a 188-day absence related to post-concussion recovery, but then became ill and missed the remainder of the second round due to pain.
No. 72 was available. So was Blake Wheeler, who had been sidelined since suffering a gruesome leg injury on Feb. 15. Matt Rempe and Johnny Brodzinski were also healthy options for Laviolette.
The coach chose Chytil. There’s no way Chytil wouldn’t be in the Rangers’ best lineup, the one with the most speed, skill and creativity. Of course, No. 72 played, and he moved back to the left flank, with Alex Wennberg in the center and Kaapo Kakko on the right. They’re the same unit from Raleigh.
Of course Chtil was also involved in this.
Chytil was not on the ice from 4:22 of the third period until 18:53, 12 seconds after the empty-net goal, and was stopped by Niko Mikkola on his final shift. He worked three shifts in the third period, totaling 9 minutes and 17 seconds. It was strange if there was one shining moment in the kids line, when Chytil skated with Lafreniere and Capo Cuckoo.
“Phil was OK. It was just towards the end of the game, timeouts, [long video review on a negated Panthers goal]”We always had fresh guys, so we ended up making a big shift in our guys to chase goals,” Laviolette said.
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Chytil was actually substituted on the right wing alongside Mika Zibanged and Chris Kreider, but both were clinical in this game. Artemi Panarin double-shifted a bit, and so did Lafreniere. Roslovic, Kakko, Wennberg, Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow were shifted short, as was Will Caillou.
This is not a problem with one player or one line. They had two chances on the power play, but couldn’t break the key elements. The top players seemed to be one step behind. The Rangers lacked speed. The Rangers were not aggressive enough.
If Chytil is out too long to be the deciding factor in a 1-0 game, and Laviolette doesn’t play on the fourth line in that scenario, the Blueshirts won this game from start to finish. He may need Matt Lempe’s energy in Friday’s second game against the team. A little confusion might help.
Or, don’t be surprised if Wheeler replaces Roslovic in the lineup and on the line with Kreider and Zibanejad. Roslovic’s game is based on intelligence and subtlety. With Wheeler at 6’5, the Rangers aren’t going to be able to beat the Panthers with subtlety.
For long stretches, Laviolette barely had to make any lineup decisions.
He’s definitely got something going now.
