Rangers and Panthers drop gloves for FURIOUS brawl after Vincent Trocheck gets New York on the board in Game 2 of Eastern Conference Finals
The New York Rangers started Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Florida Panthers with both a figurative and literal bang.
After dropping Game 1 to the visiting Panthers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, New York got on the board just four minutes into Friday’s action when Vincent Trocheck took a sublime pass from Adam Fox to beat Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.
And then it turned violent.
As Fox and Trocheck celebrated the early goal, Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe got revenge on New York’s Alexis Lafrenière for an open-ice hit that paved the way for the centering pass that led to the goal.
‘[Matthew] Tkachuk has Trocheck pinned, Lafrenière jumps into the fray,” ESPN color commentator Ray Ferraro exclaimed amid the chaos. “There’s three or four wrestling matches going on! This is a perfect start for New York.”
As Fox and Trocheck celebrated the early goal, Florida’s Carter Verhaeghe retaliated against New York’s Alexis Lafrenière for an open-ice goal
Alexis Lafreniere of the New York Rangers battles Carter Verhaeghe of the Florida Panthers
When the dust settled, Tkachuk, Verhaeghe and Lafrenière all received major penalties, resulting in a one-man advantage for New York that the Rangers were unable to convert.
If things looked a little smoother on Friday, the Rangers may have been looking to slow down a Panthers offense that scored three times on Wednesday.
“They have a lot of speed on their team,” K’Andre Miller said after Wednesday’s loss, as quoted by ESPN. “I think we’re limiting their speed in the neutral zone, trying to get hold-ups and trying to give us a little more time to get the puck out of the D-zone. [are key].
“Of course, when teams come in that hard and press you with that kind of energy, I think [it’s about] “They’re breaking down their front foot talking, moving the puck and just trying to be a little more solid,” he added. “Our execution can be a little better coming out of the D-zone.”
To shore up that defense, and perhaps give the Panthers something to think about on the ice, Rangers coach Petere Laviolette opted to dress 6-foot-4 rookie bruiser Matt Rempe on Friday.
The 21-year-old winger was inactive in Game 1, but saw action on Laviolette’s fourth line on Friday alongside Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow.
Former Rangers players and analysts Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Hendrik Lundqvist all pushed for Rempe’s return after Wednesday’s loss.
“Maybe they should think about putting Rempe in the lineup,” Messier told ESPN.