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The New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers are set to face off in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Final on Friday night in a matchup of the top two teams in the conference.
Game 2 between the Panthers and Rangers promises to be another intriguing. Despite the lop-sided 3-0 scoreline in the series opener, the game actually came down to the wire, with New York hitting multiple posts before a fluky own goal proved to be the final nail in the coffin late in the third period.
The Panthers controlled the first game from the opening puck drop and will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead here. The Rangers, who had won the first game of their last four playoff series and hadn’t trailed in a series this postseason, will look to bounce back on their home ice and avoid heading to Florida with a 2-0 hole.
Here, GOAL brings you all the information you need to know about this NHL match, including how to watch, team news, key results and head-to-head results.
New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers: Date & Puck-Drop time
| Date | Friday, May 24, 2024 |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Location | Manhattan, New York, USA |
The New York Rangers will play the Florida Panthers in a highly anticipated NHL matchup on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York.
How to watch New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers NHL Game on TV & stream live online
The New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers NHL fixture will be broadcast live nationally on ESPN.
If you don't have cable TV, the best way to watch almost every NHL playoff game online is with DirecTV Stream Choice. Best of all, DirecTV Stream packages all start with a five-day free trial. You need to pay for DirecTV Stream's Ultimate plan ($119.99 per month) to get all the channels you need to watch games on national channels: ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, TBS, and TNT.
New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Team News & Key Leaders
New York Rangers
It will be intriguing to see how will New York line up in Game 2. For the first time since early November, Peter Laviolette's roster is totally healthy, which meant Matt Rempe, Blake Wheeler, and Jonny Brodzinski were scratched in Game 1. Rempe or Wheeler might potentially replace Cuylle or Jack Roslovic in Game 2.
If the Rangers want to beat Florida, they will need to be better going forward, but there is no cause of worry after Game 1 yet. Mika Zibanejad (three goals, 11 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (six goals, eight assists) each lead the Rangers with 14 points. Kreider leads in goals with seven. Artemi Panarin has 11 points (4 G, 7 A), and Alexis Lafreniere (4 G, 6 A) and Kreider (3 A) each have 10.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin has been arguably the best goalie in the playoffs and stepped up in the net in Game 1, saving 24 of the 26 shots he faced.
Florida Panthers
Florida is enjoying a relatively clean bill of health heading into this contest, with LW Ryan Lomberg (illness) the only player listed as questionable on the injury report.
The Panthers have looked dominating in the playoffs, with their offense producing 42 goals in 12 games. Matthew Tkachuk scored the Panthers’ only real goal late in the opening frame. He has five goals and 11 assists in the playoffs, leading the team in points.
A huge part of their playoff success has been the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who stepped up in the net in Game 1, saving all 23 shots he faced. Bobrovsky has now allowed two or fewer goals in each of the last six games, going 5-1 over that period with a stellar .960 SV% and 1.62 GAA.
Head-to-Head Record
This is the second time the Rangers and Panthers take on each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first time they locked horns was 27 years ago when New York won the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in five games.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 5/22/24 | New York Rangers 0-3 Florida Panthers | NHL |
| 3/24/24 | New York Rangers 4-3 Florida Panthers | NHL |
| 3/5/24 | New York Rangers 2-4 Florida Panthers | NHL |
| 12/30/23 | Florida Panthers 4-3 New York Rangers | NHL |
| 3/26/23 | Florida Panthers 3-4 New York Rangers | NHL |