For the first time in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Rangers are trailing in a series after losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final to the Florida Panthers. While they did have their chances, they could not beat Sergei Bobrovsky and the Panthers looked like the better all-around team throughout the game. Now, heading into Game 2, there are questions about if the Rangers are going to change up their lineup to give themselves a spark as they try to avoid going down 2-0 in the series.
Many are suggesting that Matt Rempe should come back into the lineup because he brings energy and is a great physical presence for the Rangers to have. However, switching around who comes in and out of the bottom six isn’t what’s going to help them win this series. If the Rangers want to come out victorious and advance to the Stanley Cup Final, they are going to need more from their star players, as they are the ones who will carry the offense going forward. So while changing around the bottom six could bring more energy into the lineup, it’s up to the star players to up their games and help lead the charge against the Panthers.
Mika Zibanejad Needs to Start Scoring
Mika Zibanejad’s offensive game took a dip in 2023-24 from where it was the past few seasons prior. He went from scoring 39 goals and 91 points during the 2022-23 season to scoring just 26 goals and 72 points this past regular season. To start these playoffs, he was playing very well and is currently tied with the team lead in points with Vincent Trocheck (they both have 14 points in 11 games so far in these playoffs.) However, he hasn’t been scoring enough goals and that needs to change going forward in this series.
He has only scored three goals in the playoffs and has gone six games without a goal. The last time he scored was when he notched two goals in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. This is not enough production from a top-line center in this league. While he likes to set up his teammates more than he likes shooting the puck, he needs to start doing more of the latter. Zibanejad has one of the more underrated shots in the entire league and he just isn’t using it enough. Going forward, the Rangers are going to need more goal scoring from Zibanejad if they want any shot of making this a competitive series.
Adam Fox Needs to Be More Impactful
One Ranger who hasn’t played that well in the playoffs is Adam Fox. He only four assists in 11 games and hasn’t scored a goal after having 17 in the regular season. It seems he is playing through an injury after taking a knee-on-knee hit from Washington Capitals defenseman Nick Jensen in Game 4 of the first round. He has taken a few maintenance days so far and hasn’t practiced as much after suffering that hit. If he is playing with an injury, that is a huge gut punch to the Rangers as he is their best defenseman and they need him to be better in this series.
Related: Rangers Need More Defensive Scoring to beat the Panthers
He hasn’t looked like himself for most of these playoffs. He looks slower and less confident in his game and if he is struggling, the rest of the defensemen need to start picking up their games to account for Fox not playing at his best. To get the most out of him, the Rangers need to spend more time in the offensive zone while he’s on the ice. He is a great offensive defenseman and this is where he can be most impactful. Fox is a great player, but he needs to start having more of an impact on these games.
Artemi Panarin & Vincent Trocheck Need to Step Up
Artemi Panarin and Trocheck have both had very good playoffs so far, but haven’t produced much lately. Panarin has 11 points in 11 games, but hasn’t scored a goal since his Game 3 overtime winner against the Hurricanes and in Game 1 against the Panthers, he was a minus-3 and only had three shots on goal. Trocheck was hot to start the playoffs but has cooled off a bit in recent games. He only has one goal in his last five games and has gone pointless in three pf those games. The Rangers need to get more offense from these two players if they want any chance of beating the Panthers.
This series will come down to whether or not the Rangers’ top players start playing at the highest level’ a level fans have seen them play at before. If they don’t come out to play in Game 2, the Rangers could find themselves down 2-0 in the series heading on the road for Games 3 and 4. The Panthers are going to be a very difficult team to beat, but if the Rangers can get star-level performances from their top players, they have a great chance of making this a hard-fought series to the end.
