Game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals is set for Friday night between the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers. The winner of this series will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, and it should be a terrific matchup throughout.
Florida went into New York and picked up a 3-0 win in the series opener, and they have now stolen home ice advantage from the Rangers. The Panthers have gone 9-3 so far during the postseason run, and they are a team that is on a mission to move on.
New York had a tough series with the Carolina Hurricanes last round, and that appeared to leave them a bit fatigued in Game 1. The Rangers now have to win in Game 2 or they are going to struggle to play catch up the rest of the series.
The Florida Panthers are moneyline favorites at -115 in Game 2 of this series, and the over/under line is set at 5.5 total goals.
Panthers Playing Great Hockey
The Florida Panthers come into this game with a ton of momentum, and they have been doing nearly everything right up to this point. Florida took complete control in the series opener on offense, and their defense was tough to crack.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 23 saves in a shutout performance in Game 1 of this series, but he also got a ton of help from his defense. Florida was able to control the puck after taking an early lead, and their offense was sharp as well.
Matthew Tkachuk has been great for the Panthers during the postseason and he had a goal and an assist in the win. Florida can be a dangerous team on offense, and that will be something to watch in this game on Friday.
Rangers Must Rally on Offense
Getting just 23 shots on goal is not going to work for the New York Rangers, and that will need to change in this matchup. New York has been a good team on the power play this season, but at some point they have to score at even strength.
Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with seven goals so far in the postseason, but this team needs Artemi Panarin to get going. Panarin is the most talented player on offense for this team, and he must set his team up with some scoring opportunities.
The Rangers are a great defensive team, and they will need to try to turn some of that defense into offense in order to win this game.
Rangers Even Series Up
The Panthers are a team that wants to score goals in a hurry, and getting to three goals might be enough to come up with another win. Florida has also been great at slowing down opponents this postseason, and that will be something to watch as well.
New York is going to have to take some chances on offense in this game as they just don’t have enough offense to win games. Look for the Rangers to play super aggressive in this matchup as that will allow them to find holes in the Panthers defense.
Bet the New York Rangers at -105 on the moneyline as they are going to win Game 2 of this series to even things up a 1-1 heading to Florida.
