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

June 2, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

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.

The shirtless kid behind the Rangers bench is back, and Lavi chirped him on TV 😂 pic.twitter.com/619OkgZLhN

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

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.

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.

THIS RANGERS FAN HELD UP AN ORIGINAL COPY OF "THE GUARANTEE" HEADLINE FROM 1994 😱🔥 pic.twitter.com/c5SllDT3j6
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 2, 2024

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.

13 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Top Shelf Picks: Best NHL Bets Today (A Side, Total, and Prop Bet for Game 3)

After two days off, the Stanley Cup Final is set to resume on Thursday night when the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers face-off in Game 3 with the Panthers holding a 2-0 series lead.

If you're looking for some bets to place for tonight's game, you've come to the right place. I have a bet locked in on the side, total, and a player prop. Let's jump right into them.

All odds listed in this article are via BetMGM Sportsbook

Oilers -135 vs. Panthers

I'm going to bet the Oilers to get the job done and keep this series alive. They have been fantastic on their home ice throughout the postseason with a 6-3 record and an average goal differential of +0.99 per game. We've already seen they can dominate the Panthers between the blue lines. Despite losing Game 1, they were the better team from start to finish and had the advanced metrics heavily in their favor.

If they can repeat their Game 1 performance and find a way to pop a few goals, they'll be in a great spot to win tonight.

UNDER 5.5 (-115)

I've bet the UNDER in the first two games and I see no reason to back away from that. It's hit in both games and the advanced metrics so far this series have supported the idea both teams are playing a defensive style of hockey.

The Oilers have an expected goals mark of 2.4 per 60 minutes while the Panthers are at 2.33 per 60 minutes. That's a combined expected goals of just 4.73 per game, well below the set total for Game 3 of 5.5. Both teams are also averaging fewer than 10 high-danger scoring chances per game.

Connor McDavid OVER 3.5 shots on goal (-105)

Big players make big plays in big game and that's what I expect from Connor McDavid tonight. He has recorded at least five shots in four of his last six games and he needs to put his team on his back tonight if he wants to get them back in this series.

I'll bet him to record at least four shots on goal tonight.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

29 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

What’s the Furthest the Florida Panthers Have Ever Gone in the NHL Playoffs?

The Florida Panthers are once again making a deep run in the NHL playoffs in 2024, continuing the franchise's chase for its first Stanley Cup title.

Florida was established as an NHL expansion franchise in 1993 and made its first playoff appearance in '96. Over 30 seasons, the Panthers have made 10 playoff appearances—including their current streak of five straight seasons—and have won nine postseason series as they battle the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Panthers advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in two of those 10 playoff appearances in 1996 and 2023, coming up just short of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup both times. Here's a look back at the Panthers' two runs to the Stanley Cup Final:

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Avalanche 3, Panthers 1
Game 2	Avalanche 8, Panthers 1
Game 3	Avalanche 3, Panthers 2
Game 4	Avalanche 1, Panthers 0

The 1995–96 Panthers made the most of their first playoff appearance in franchise history, defeating the Boston Bruins in five games, the Philadelphia Flyers in six and the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven for a chance to play on hockey's biggest stage.

The 1996 Stanley Cup Final featured a matchup between two franchises attempting to win their first league title, as the Colorado Avalanche battled through the Western Conference bracket. The 1995–96 campaign was the Avalanche's first in Colorado, as the franchise formerly known as the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver after the 1994–95 season.

The series was all Colorado from the start. Goaltender Patrick Roy stopped 147 of the 151 shots he faced, and Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic tallied five points apiece as the Avalanche swept Florida in four games.

The Panthers wouldn't make another appearance in the Stanley Cup Final until nearly 30 years later in 2023.

GAME	RESULT
Game 1	Golden Knights 5, Panthers 2
Game 2	Golden Knights 7, Panthers 2
Game 3	Panthers 3, Golden Knights 2 (OT)
Game 4	Golden Knights 3, Panthers 2
Game 5	Golden Knights 9, Panthers 3

The Panthers' run through the 2023 playoffs was quite a roller coaster. As the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, Florida found itself trailing the Boston Bruins 3–1 in the opening round but battled back to win the last three games of the series 4–3, 7–5 and 4–3 to advance. Florida defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.

Florida's momentum stopped against Vegas, however. Golden Knights forward Mark Stone scored a series-high five goals and Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP after tallying eight points (four goals, four assists) in the Stanley Cup Final.

After making the playoffs for three straight years from 2019 to '22 and winning the Presidents' Trophy in the 2021–22 campaign, the Panthers reconstructed their roster and traded top scorer Jonathan Huberdeau and three other assets to the Ottawa Senators for Matthew Tkachuk. The gamble paid off, as Tkachuk led them back to the Stanley Cup Final, but a championship still proved to be illusive for the franchise that calls Sunrise, Fla., home.

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

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