FLA vs NYR: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL PREVIEW 🏒

FLA vs NYR: EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL PREVIEW 🏒

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hello everybody Welcome once again to another playoff series preview Steve Goldstein along with Randy Mohler we’re getting good at this getting a lot of practice Five series wins over the last two years for the Florida Panthers six over the last three years second straight Eastern Conference Final and Randy what a matchup uh the New York Rangers they call South Florida the sixth burrow with all the New Yorkers and people from the Northeast that live here in South Florida how about the buildup of this series well the energy in both the buildings that we’re going to witness here Madison Square Garden I mean the energy always for the Rangers there and of course down here the Panthers have built a really good tradition with their fans being the six man on the ice and the energy uh in Sunrise at that beautiful facility and it’s going to be uh it’s going to be magical and the fans are I think are the are going to benefit the most because of the energy and the skill we’re going to witness on the ice by both these teams and Randy Mohler played for both franchises and we of course are here as we always are for our series preview for the Panthers the Fort Lauderdale war memorial the Baptist Health icex you know Matthew kachuck made the comment after the Boston game and uh the the game six win on Friday and you know there was still five six days until the series started and a lot of times you get players saying well let me enjoy this one no he said it’s a Dream It’s playoffs it’s New York City has favorite road Arena from an energy standpoint how great is this not only for the NHL but for the Panthers franchise well and I I think to answer that question is is I it’s so impressive the way the Panthers thrive on the pressure and the experience of playing playoff hockey you’ve seen over the years where there’s been a lot of players a lot of teams that just tighten right up these players led by Matthew kachuck they thrive on it this is what they play for and they energy that they get off of of playing and it equals to being able to do it on the ice and be able to perform and and uh the Panthers proved that last year they had no Jitters in any of the series and again this year they they fully expect that this is where they were supposed to be and I thought Matthew kachuck said hey we’ve been dialed in since the first day of training camp this is where we want to be to get back to the finals yeah there was no hangover at all from losing the Stanley Cup Final let’s get into some of the matchups great top sixes on both teams we talked about this in the Tampa series you start with Alexander barov wins his second selki a few days ago gets the big block in game six scores the Big Goal incredibly um you know the game in Boston that put the Panthers on top in the series is there anything else left to say about the way this guy plays uh there’s never cheat in his game he’s great offensively he’s great defensively and everything in between the Legacy of Alexander barov everybody knows how good he is on both sides of the puck it’ll be determined his legacy if he hoists that cup and all great players Hall of Fame players uh have that cup and that’s barov and not to be disrespectful the selki award for for barov I don’t think he cares too much about it he he wants he wants the Cup by the way he should just win it every year they don’t it’s like Michael Jordan he should win the MVP when he played in the NBA every year but you got to give it another guys I should have W I should have won the Norris for 13 straight years but well maybe not okay maybe once or twice for that one big week you had when you were on the nordes you know if they did that on a weekly basis um matchup wise okay you’ve got zabana Jad you got our old friend Vinnie tro you got barov londell and Bennett Anton londell had a great series how do you see the matchup in the middle the Panthers certainly had the advantage I thought against Tampa certainly against the Bruins how does it matter up against the r well this is going to be a lot tougher because the the Rangers have that speed up the middle and Vinnie troch he’s been a proven playoff performer for the New York Rangers uh and then you know was the banage at they’ve got so much speed up the middle of the ice and and their Wingers are interchangeable and that to me this series is going to come down to if the Panthers can limit the odd man rushes of the Rangers they’re the best in the league at it they’ve scored the most goals off the rush if the Panthers can prevent that I think that’s a big Advantage for the Florida Panthers in this long seven game series all right so you talk about zabad tro and yeah there’s krider there’s paner I mean both teams just loaded in the top six great transition team they’ve got that speed how do the Panthers limit that what’s the key to not allow them to get that Rush game going well it’s difficult because the Panthers are the most aggressive foreing team in the NHL they’ve proven that over the last three years but in order for them to have success on the four check and the pressure and that they’ve got to have support and if their defenseman are going to be aggressive and pinch down the boards there’s got to be some support back because the last thing the Panthers want to do is give up multiple odd man rushes to the rangers they will hurt you in so many different ways so you’re saying no adjustment in the way the Panthers play but you just got to be really smart at what you do is that pretty much yeah and and and it falls on I think a lot of the defense and you know they want to pinch they want to keep the puck in the offensive zone but I think here early on in this series they’re going to have to be very careful and very selective when they’re going to be pinched and that you might have to pull back out and not allow the two-on ones and the three on twos it’s all about game management and the Panthers have mastered that over this playoff series where they’ve made those adjustments in game and game by game that that cannot change here against the Rangers they faced a great up and coming goalie and Jeremy Swan scored enough against him to win that series especially late with those 2-1 games here comes Igor shkin against Sergey barosi combined three vzna trophies Randy does anybody have the advantage and goal in this you know what it’s the easy way out is to say it’s a wash the go 10 is going to be was but you don’t take the easy way out usually no no no but Sergey bab well depends on where we are sometimes but that’s another subject I think I think Sergey barosi has mastered there were so there’s so many lws in these games where he doesn’t face a lot of shots and then all of a sudden bang bang he’s counted on he’s the best in the league at it shashurin was pretty uh confident in his ability to stop those pucks and Rapid Fire he is so good on not giving up rebounds and that the Panthers have got to take his eyes away but long-winded answer I think both goenda in this series right but rain special teams have been amazing you got to give them credit um their power play is is deadly with Ceder tipping pucks at the net they’ve actually scored as many short-handed goals in the postseason as they’ve allowed Power Play Goals do we go back to the same thing we talked about six we weeks ago going into the Tampa Series be smart be be disciplining just keep it five on five cuz that’s where the Panthers have the advantage I think so yeah and they know that they know that and they they’ve proven that in the in the the first couple of Series where the Panthers they had to be disciplined they can’t have a parade to the Penalty Box the Rangers are so prolific on the power play they snap that puck around but they have not faced a penalty killing team like the Panthers that put that fourman pressure on the puck carry at all times who’s going to win that battle that’s going to be the real uh Tipping Point I think in this series is there anything you can do against Chris krider at the net he’s so good you know I I don’t know if he’s uh pavelski Crosby good and Sam reinarts up there but krider’s in that neighborhood not only the hands to tip those pucks but he’s such a big body to take the eyes away from the goalie is there anything you can do against them well I I I think the Panthers just have to have awareness when he’s on the ice and do the best that they can legally boxing him out and not get him not allow him to get close to the net where he can tip or get those rebounds no doubt Goldie he’s one of the best in the game and he’s proven it over the years his his jersey is going to be up in the at MSG the most the highest scoring player in playoff hockey Chris krier we’re going to see a a a a healthy helping of Chris krider in these games he’s going to be all over the puck just almost like uh Matthew kachuck same kind of player big uh strong power forward that goes to the net and causes havoc and speaking of which the Panthers for what it’s worth and I’m not sure it’s worth a lot scored plenty of goals against the Rangers in the regular season uh yeah able to win at Madison Square Garden how do the Rangers handle the Panthers top six because every time you look around and even if you start going into the top nine Evan Rodriguez had a real good series against Boston if you’re the Rangers on the blue line every time you look around you got someone that could put the puck and they did on the Panthers side we said it we said it the last two series the the the Rangers defensively they’re going to look okay we got the bark offline okay uh how we’re going to match up then you got the Bennett line the secret weapon for the Panthers again and ton londell what 11 points and 11 games so far in the playoffs for the Florida Panthers he is the the factor I think for the Florida Panthers and his line with the energy if they stay together uh with lyer and Rodriguez they were Sensational especially in the Boston series I expect that to continue against the Rangers yeah and speaking of Paul Maurice before the playoffs started I said is there I asked him is there one guy is there a guy that when this is over hopefully it’s in June that people will look at and emia goes L londell’s the guy now the other guy that we’ve known for a while but people around the NHL are taking big notice of the game-winning goal Gustaf forsling finally Randy now he is getting all of the credit that he really has always deserved how good was he against the Brewing you know he just he’s his skating ability and to be able to close the gaps on opposition forwards is I think the best in the game and the best in the NHL right now the way that he anticipates and then uses that active stick and and be able to shut down those offensive plays uh from the Bruins that we saw on the Tampa Bay Lightning but he is going to be tested him and EAD the number one pair they’re going to have the most probably minutes on the ice for the Florida Panthers they have got to stay together work as a unit and be able to shut down and work off each other and that and forsling though I think he’s the best best defensive defenseman in the NHL because of how many plays that he breaks up all right home ICE you think oh big deal home I the road teams are 34 and 30 in this year’s playoffs the road teams were 47 and 40 last year in the playoffs is there a benefit to going on the road where you have no distractions it’s hey you’re with your teammates you’re playing hockey you’re going out for meals and that’s it I don’t think so I think the the these uh players and I know it doesn’t affect the Florida Panthers they thrive on playing they love the energy in the opposition uh Arena I don’t think there’s any advantage at all they’re loud every every building is loud it’s raunchous out there and I think the Panthers they’re going to play their same game they don’t get intimidated by the crowd and I don’t think the Rangers uh get intimidated as well the Panthers in the Atlantic division the last five Eastern Conference champions Boston Tampa and Florida trying to emerge again do you see this just being a long series and a few plays maybe in game six or game seven will decide it well I guess you’re asking me my prediction of the series well in a roundabout way you know I love putting you on the spot with these things and you don’t usually like it so I kind of I skirted the issue a little bit you know I think the key for the Panthers is they have to steal one of the first two games at Madison Square Square Garden if they do that coming back with the confidence that they have I’m picking the Panthers in six Panthers in six games all right they’ve only played one time ever that was back in 1997 Essa tienan two two overtime goals one game three and then one game five and we know about the south Florida New York connection the last time New York won a championship the Giants in 2012 the last time South Florida won one the Panthers in or should I say the heat in 2013 does the winner of this Series have the leg up to win the Stanley Cup absolutely I think it’s the East right now I I really I think there’s holes in in the three remaining teams uh that are out in the Western Conference I think up and down the lineup just the the the combination of goal tending uh offensive stars and that I think uh the Stanley Cup is going to be in the East all right well amazing from the panther standpoint you ownership Vinnie Viola and the entire staff and Bill Zito what’s been built here in South Florida over the last four or five years Randy and it’s it’s not a culmination because this isn’t for the Stanley Cup but Panthers Rangers a lot of people wait a long time for a series like this oh yeah this is this is going to be this is what every fan wants and that the two best teams in the Eastern Conference that’s what you want and uh I think it’s going to be a long series and hopefully the Panthers can come out and they don’t want to go to game seven back at Madison Square Garden all right it’s going to be fun thanks as always for watching hopefully we have one more of these before the Stanley Cup Final for you [Music]

0:00 – Introduction
1:00 – Panthers success in the playoffs
2:30 – Barkov’s Impact
3:40 – Panthers vs Rangers matchup
4:47 – Limiting the Rangers rush
6:00 – Goalie matchup
7:00 – Special teams
8:00 – Matching up with Kreider
9:00 – Rangers handling Panthers top 6
9:30 – Panthers secret weapon
10:00 – Gustav Forsling’s impact
11:10 – Starting on the road
11:50 – Series prediction
12:45 – East winner the Stanley Cup favorite?

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