Panthers defeat Rangers in Sport 6, advance to Stanley Cup Closing – NHL.com

Bennett, Tarasenko rating for Florida, which advances to championship spherical for 2nd straight season
ECF, Gm6: Rangers @ Panthers Recap
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Florida Panthers superior to the Stanley Cup Closing for the second straight season with a 2-1 win in opposition to the New York Rangers in Sport 6 of the Jap Convention Closing at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment on Saturday.
Florida, which misplaced to the Vegas Golden Knights in 5 video games final season, will play both the Edmonton Oilers or Dallas Stars. Edmonton leads that best-of-7 sequence 3-2.
“Final yr was the primary yr we went that far and it felt superb,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov stated. “You needed to do every thing you possibly can to get again right here. Everyone knows it’s not one huge factor, it’s not sooner or later. It’s important to begin the grind in the summertime, in coaching camp. … All of us had the identical purpose to get higher and get again. Right here we’re once more.”
Sam Bennett and Vladimir Tarasenko scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for the Panthers, who’re the No. 1 seed from the Atlantic Division.
Artemi Panarin scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 32 saves for the Rangers, who had been the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division and received the Presidents’ Trophy because the NHL’s prime staff through the common season.
“It was troublesome to attain, producing the standard we needed to generate,” New York coach Peter Laviolette stated. “We knew that coming in from the best way [Florida] completed the season and from the primary and second spherical. They weren’t giving up rather a lot. Finally, it’s one thing we had been capable of do fairly persistently via the course of the yr. Have a look at the scores, the video games. Low-scoring, one-goal video games. Finally, discovering the subsequent purpose within a recreation may very well be the distinction.”
NYR@FLA ECF, Gm6: Bennett blasts in a one-timer to open scoring
Bennett gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 19:10 of the primary interval. Evan Rodrigues knocked down a clearing try by Erik Gustafsson within the impartial zone and swatted the puck to Bennett. Bennett then skated into the zone and despatched a cross to Rodrigues, who dropped the puck again to Bennett for a one-timer from the left circle.
“It was huge as a result of they’re staff with plenty of offensive weapons,” Bennett stated. “[New York] goes to attain some objectives, however we did job of limiting that and simply shutting it down. It was a heck of an effort. The close-out video games are all the time the toughest and reveals simply how devoted this group is to successful.”
Tarasenko made it 2-0 at 9:08 of the third interval, burying a backdoor cross from Anton Lundell on the proper put up. The play began after Eetu Luostarinen chased down the puck and took it away from Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller.
“It is extremely good, particularly for the younger guys, to get this playoff expertise,” Tarasenko stated. “Most everybody was right here final yr. It’s one factor to listen to about it, it’s one other factor to really feel it. It’s serving to us out rather a lot.”
NYR@FLA ECF, Gm6: Tarasenko fires it in previous Shesterkin
Panarin reduce it to 2-1 at 18:20, roofing a shot over Bobrovsky from the precise circle with Shesterkin on the bench for the additional skater.
“I do not suppose you may say they do not need to win,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba stated. “I believe they positively deserved to win sequence. We had been proper there however simply got here up a little bit brief.”
NOTES: Because the NHL’s enlargement period started in 1967-68, solely 5 different groups had returned to the Stanley Cup Closing after shedding in it the yr prior: the St. Louis Blues in 1969 and 1970, the Boston Bruins in 1978, the Oilers in 1984, and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. … The final staff to win the Presidents’ Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the identical season was the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks. … Tarasenko’s game-winning purpose was his first level of the sequence.
🔹 New York Rangers vs. Florida Panthers
🔹 Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers

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