Category: New York Rangers

Rangers' Peter Laviolette Had In-Game Interview Upstaged by Shirtless Panthers Fan
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Rangers’ Peter Laviolette Had In-Game Interview Upstaged by Shirtless Panthers Fan

New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette had his in-game interview with ESPN's Emily Kaplan upstaged by a shirtless Florida Panthers fan during his team's season-ending, 2–1 loss to Florida at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday night.

While there likely weren't many things making him laugh on Saturday night, Laviolette couldn't help but chuckle as the young Panthers fan flexed his biceps in the background, making it nearly impossible for any viewers to focus on the interview.

"How about this guy behind us?" Laviolette said with a laugh.

"He likes the interview more than you do," Kaplan, perfectly playing off of the situation, replied.

Here's the funny moment, courtesy of Bleacher Report's account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Laviolette proceeded to conduct the interview, as the young Panthers fan continued to go full muscleman in the background.

Then, after the interview was finished, the Rangers coach bumped the glass in front of the young fan before walking back to the bench.

Unfortunately for Laviolette, the flexing fan was the one who went home happy, as the Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where they will await the winner of the Dallas Stars-Edmonton Oilers conference finals series, which Edmonton currently leads 3-2.

Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL, Peter Laviolette, Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Panthers Uphold Prince of Wales Trophy Superstition After Eastern Conference Title
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Panthers Uphold Prince of Wales Trophy Superstition After Eastern Conference Title

In the NHL, as in other sports, trophies are awarded for conference titles—much in the way that hardware is given to the AFC and NFC champions, American League and National League champions, and so on.

However, only hockey's conference trophies have elaborate lore surrounding what you can do and not do with them.

Superstition generally holds that you should touch neither the Eastern Conference's Prince of Wales Trophy nor Western Conference's Clarence Campbell Bowl, instead saving your adulation for the Stanley Cup. However, the Florida Panthers bucked that tradition in 2023, embracing the Prince of Wales Trophy after their Eastern Conference title.

With a loss in the 2023 Stanley Cup finals to the Vegas Golden Knights fresh in mind, Florida made no such mistake after its 2–1 clinching win over the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals Saturday.

A video posted by the NHL showed the Panthers handling the trophy after beating the Carolina Hurricanes in '23—and then avoiding it like the plague in 2024.

Whether this hands-off approach will benefit Florida going forward remains to be seen.

Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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Panthers Hold Off Rangers in Game 6 to Lock Up Third Eastern Conference Title
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Panthers Hold Off Rangers in Game 6 to Lock Up Third Eastern Conference Title

For the fifth straight year, the Stanley Cup finals will have a Floridian flavor.

The Florida Panthers downed the New York Rangers 2–1 Saturday evening in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to win the series. With the victory, the Panthers won their third conference championship and second in as many years.

Previous Florida trips to the Stanley Cup finals include 1996, when the third-year franchise was swept by the Colorado Avalanche, and 2023, when the team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.

To best the Rangers Saturday, the Panthers overcame a Herculean effort from New York goalie Igor Shesterkin. Center Sam Bennett staked Florida to a 1–0 lead at 19:10 of the first period, and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko added a second nine minutes into the third.

The Rangers opened their account with left wing Artemi Panarin's goal at 18:20 of the third period, but it was too little too late for New York's best team by points percentage since 1972.

The Panthers will meet either the Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals; the Oilers lead their series three games to two with Game 6 scheduled for Sunday evening.

Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6
2 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fan Displays Iconic Vintage Newspaper From 1994 Playoffs at Rangers-Panthers Game 6

As a franchise nearly seven decades older than their Eastern Conference finals opponents, the New York Rangers have more than their fair share of ghosts to call forth at any given time.

On Saturday night, they did just that ahead of a must-win Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

Before the Rangers and Panthers' showdown, ABC's cameras found a young rinkside fan at Amerant Bank Arena holding up a copy of The New York Post. It wasn't just any copy, however—it was a perfectly preserved copy from May 25, 1994.

"We'll win tonight," reads the headline, paraphrasing New York forward Mark Messier's famous guarantee before the Rangers' Eastern Conference finals-tying 4–2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

New York went on to beat the Devils in Game 7, and won the Stanley Cup over the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

In the 30 years since, the Rangers have yet to win hockey's biggest prize.

Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, NHL
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How to watch the 2024 Stanley Cup Final With & Without Cable: Full Streaming Guide
30 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

How to watch the 2024 Stanley Cup Final With & Without Cable: Full Streaming Guide

Amidst a drama-filled postseason, the 2023-24 NHL campaign is nearing an end. A new champion will be crowned in the upcoming 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final.

The playoff bracket is down to four teams—the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final and the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.

The format of the Stanley Cup Final is simple—a best-of-seven series just like the first three rounds of the playoffs. The team with home-ice advantage (awarded based on which team had the better regular-season record) hosts Game 1, Game 2, Game 5 (if necessary) and Game 7. The other team hosts Games 3, 4 and 6.

The Rangers would have home-ice advantage if they advance past the Eastern Conference Final since they finished with the most points (114) in the regular-season standings. The Stars (113 points) would have home-ice advantage if the Panthers (110 points) won the East, and Florida can only have the advantage if the Oilers (104 points) beat Dallas.

Without further ado, here's everything you need to know about tuning in to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final:

The best-of-seven series to crown the 2023-24 NHL champion will begin with Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, June 8.

Every game will be televised exclusively on ABC in the United States. In Canada, the games will be aired on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports.

GAME

DATE

TIME

CHANNEL

Game 1

Saturday, June 8

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 2

Monday, June 10

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 3

Thursday, June 13

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 4

Saturday, June 15

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 5 (if necessary)

Tuesday, June 18

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 6 (if necessary)

Friday, June 21

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Game 7 (if necessary)

Monday, June 24

8 p.m. ET

ABC

Every game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final will be available for fans in the United States to stream on ESPN+ and the ABC app. Both will require a TV provider login.

Streaming options that don’t require cable include FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. For fans not looking to spend exorbitant amounts on a streaming service, FuboTV offers a free one-week trial to new subscribers.

Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, How to Watch, New York Rangers, NHL, Stanley Cup
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Bryan Rust Thinks Penguins Would've Upset Rangers If They Made Playoffs Over Capitals
29 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Bryan Rust Thinks Penguins Would’ve Upset Rangers If They Made Playoffs Over Capitals

The Pittsburgh Penguins were not a participant in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs, having missed out on the postseason after coming up short in a wild-card race that went down to the wire in the Eastern Conference.

At least one player on the team seems to think that the Penguins would've made a better showing than some teams that did qualify for this year's playoffs.

Winger Bryan Rust said Wednesday that he thinks Pittsburgh could've staged an upset of the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs had they snuck in as the final playoff team.

During an interview with gamer Ninja, Rust said that he felt the Penguins matched up well with the Rangers, who have gone on to the Eastern Conference Final.

"I think we would've beat the Rangers," Rust said. "It is a matchup thing. You look across the league and there's some teams that you do well against and teams that you don't. And I feel like the Rangers would've been good for us, if we could've figure out our penalty kill against their power play."

Across three regular-season matchups this year, New York held a 2–1 record against the Penguins. Still, Rust made clear he thinks that Pittsburgh would've matched up well with the Rangers, and maybe given them a closer fight than that of the Washington Capitals, who were brushed aside in four games.

Bryan Rust, New York Rangers, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup Playoffs
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Photo of Rangers' Celebration After OT Winner vs. Hurricanes Is Instantly Iconic
8 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Photo of Rangers’ Celebration After OT Winner vs. Hurricanes Is Instantly Iconic

It took 87 minutes of game time, but the New York Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4–3 in double overtime Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

Rangers veteran center Vincent Trocheck swatted in the game-winning goal at the 7:24 mark of the second overtime, sending a shot through the five-hole of Carolina goaltender Igor Shesterkin off a rebound.

As the lamp was lit, chaos ensued on the ice as the entire Rangers bench flocked to the boards to celebrate Trocheck's game-winner. One photo in particular perfectly captured the celebration, with Trocheck happily gazing into the crowd while being swarmed by teammates.

Put that on a poster.

Trocheck, who played for the Hurricanes for two seasons before joining the Rangers in 2022, now has scored a goal in five straight playoff games. That ties the longest goal streak in Rangers' playoff history, joining Cecil Dillon in 1933.

Trocheck scored 25 goals in 82 regular-season games for New York this season and tallied a career-high 77 points.

After taking the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Rangers will hit the road Thursday for Game 3 against the Hurricanes at PNC Arena.

Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Vincent Trocheck
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Rangers' Jacob Trouba Face-Planted Into Wall After Missing Dangerous Hit vs. Hurricanes
8 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Rangers’ Jacob Trouba Face-Planted Into Wall After Missing Dangerous Hit vs. Hurricanes

New York Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba nearly connected on a vicious hit Tuesday night during Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.

During the first overtime of the Rangers' 4–3 win, Trouba tried to lay a violent check on Carolina center Martin Necas near the boards. Necas ducked out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding Trouba's elbow.

Trouba went flying into the boards head first, and as he came down, his right leg landed on Necas's head. Both players were O.K. and continued to play after the collision.

Trouba is known to throw around big hits on the ice—and sometimes they are rather dangerous. He has been suspended several times over his 11-year career, including a two-game penalty earlier this season for elbowing Vegas Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev in the head.

NHL fans weighed in on the wild near-collision Tuesday night:

Trouba and the Rangers exited Game 2 with a win, handing the Hurricanes a 2–0 series deficit on Vincent Trocheck's power-play goal at the 7:24 mark of the second overtime.

The teams will match up once again Thursday for Game 3 at PNC Arena.

Carolina Hurricanes, Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers
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ESPN Cut Away From Hurricanes-Rangers Broadcast in Final Minute, and Fans Were Furious
8 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

ESPN Cut Away From Hurricanes-Rangers Broadcast in Final Minute, and Fans Were Furious

The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers were tied 3–3 and battling in the final minute of Game 2 when the ESPN broadcast suddenly went dark.

The Rangers, who lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 1–0, were on the power play and about to set up their attack with 50 seconds to play in regulation when the ESPN broadcast accidentally cut to the pregame scenes in Dallas.

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche were about to begin Game 1 of their series at American Airlines Center, but the game was supposed to be nationally televised on ESPNU, not ESPN, until the Rangers-Hurricanes clash ended.

ESPN stayed on the Stars-Rangers broadcast for about 20 seconds before cutting back to Madison Square Garden. Luckily, no goals were scored.

The game remained on ESPN as it went into overtime. But those 20 seconds away from the Rangers-Hurricanes game felt like an hour to New York and Carolina fans watching on television.

The Rangers and Hurricanes will play again Thursday in Game 3 at PNC Arena.

Carolina Hurricanes, ESPN, New York Rangers
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