Rangers vs. Panthers Game 4 – Pregame stats, facts and notes – Hockey Writers – NHL News
The New York Rangers visit the Florida Panthers for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Finals series tonight. The Rangers, who lead the series 2-1, look to take control with another win and put the Panthers in a playoff spot. As for Florida, a win will put them back in business. Let's take a look at some stats, facts, and notes before the game takes place.
Related: Proposed Lineup for Rangers vs Panthers — Game 4
In these playoffs, there have been 36 consecutive victories in 75 games, tying the playoff total recorded in 2023 by 13 games. At this point in the postseason, that's the third-highest total ever, tied with the 1993 and 2010 seasons. In playoff history, only the 1991 (37) and 1999 (38) postseasons have had more.
In the postseason so far, there have been 39 one-goal contests. This is the highest number recorded by 75 games since 2017, of which you have seen 47 so far. The Eastern Conference finalist accounted for two of those, both overtime victories over the Rangers.
Street teams dominated the championships, winning 42 of the 75 contests in total. With that number of games, only the post-2023 season has matched this mark. Looking at the highest number ever recorded when all is said and done, both 2012 and 2023 had 47 of them.
Regarding this series in particular, the Rangers can take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven conference finals for only the second time in their history. The last time they did this was against the Montreal Canadiens in 2014, a series they went on to win. With a victory for the Panthers, they can tie the Eastern Conference Finals series at 2-2 for the first time in their franchise history.
Alexis Lafreniere, thanks to a two-goal effort in Game 3, would become just the fifth player 22 and under in Rangers history to record seven goals in a playoff season — he currently has six. He will try to join Alexei Kovalev, teammates Filip Chytil, Don Maloney, and Don Murdoch as the only players to reach this number.
Related: 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Hub
Vincent Trocheck, who has eight point contests in the playoffs, has a chance to be up there with the best player. Brian Leetch, who had nine such games in the Rangers' Cup-winning season in 1994, is the only player ever to have more – he was awarded the Conn Smythe.
Looking at the Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk already has seven high-scoring games. With one more, he could break the most in franchise history – the one he holds himself, recording seven in Florida's 2023 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Barring Game 4, Carter Verhaeghe would become the second-most points scored in a single Conference Final in team history with just one more point. With five already, he could surpass Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Tom Fitzgerald for that title. The first place holder is Dave Lowry, who had seven back in 1996.
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