What’s happened in the series so far
Florida took Game 1 before the Rangers won back-to-back contests in Games 2 and 3. The Cats then responded with two victories of their own, putting them in the position to advance on Saturday.
NY Rangers
The Rangers were arguably the most consistent team in these playoffs leading up to the conference finals, sweeping the Washington Capitals before comfortably beating the Carolina Hurricanes, too. After all, this is a club that had the best record in the NHL in the regular season. But, in this series, the Panthers have given them a serious run for their money. Aside from Game 1 where Florida won 3-0, every contest has been decided by just one goal.
New York opened the scoring in Game 5 thanks to a shorthanded goal from Chris Kreider, but the Cats proceeded to score three unanswered. Alex Lafreniere got one back late in the third, but it was too little too late. The Rangers were 0 for 3 on the power play and outshot 37-27. Overall though, they’ve had a plethora of different players doing their part offensively.
Vincent Trocheck has 19 points, while Mika Zibanejad has 16. Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin are both in double digits in points, too. The big guns will undoubtedly need to step up when it matters most on Saturday with the season on the line. They also need another solid performance from Igor Shesterkin in between the posts. However, New York is an underdog for Game 6 at NHL sportsbooks.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers were always seen as one of the clear-cut contenders to win the Stanley Cup and now they’re on the brink of getting there at the very least. Florida, who won the Atlantic Division, previously took down the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs to book their spot in the conference finals. They’ve done a nice job of competing in this series and put their best foot forward in Game 5.
Florida controlled a lot of the possession and managed to keep the Rangers out of their zone, limiting the amount of saves Sergei Bobrovsky had to make. Perhaps the only knock on the Cats was allowing a shorthanded goal, which is unacceptable for any team, playoffs or not. Gustav Forsling, Sam Bennett, and Anton Lundell were the goal scorers here, with Bennett’s being an empty netter.
Forsling has proven to be one of Florida’s most important players in this series and he’ll surely play his part in Game 6 on both ends of the ice. With the chance to win the East at home, the Cats will have all the motivation they need to get it done. Florida is a -170 favorite at Bodog sportsbook.
