Game One was played much closer than the 3-0 scoreline suggests; the Panthers led only 1-0 into the final four minutes and didn't sew things up until Sam Bennett's empty-netter with 1:19 to play. The chore for the Rangers is to solve "Bob" in the Florida net after the Panthers haven't allowed more than two goals since Game One of the Boston series. Generating more speed into the attack zone looms important for NY, and a couple of chances for their potent power play might be all the Rangers need. The situation becomes dire for NY with a loss, but trust the Rangers can pull one out of the fire as they have more than once this postseason. Play Rangers on Money Line

The Rangers have been outstanding at MSG all season, and it's hard for me to see them having a repeat performance of Game 1. Both teams in this matchup are elite on the defensive side, but I do expect to see more scoring on Friday night as well. I like the Rangers to even this series up before it heads to the Sunshine State for Game 3.

I still believe this was the right play in Game 1. If you had told me that Igor Shesterkin personally was going to allow just one goal to a Florida player, obviously I would have mortgaged my house to wager +1.5. And that's what happened in Game 1. Except the Rangers also had an own goal and Florida added an empty netter. The latter is really my only concern again tonight as I expect the Rangers to come out flying after not playing all that great in the opener. If they go down 2-0 at home, this series is over. The Panthers are trying to become the first team in 15 years to pull ahead 2-0 in B2B conference finals.

The New York Rangers are 6-1 after scoring one goal or less this season, and they have been terrific at MSG. Florida scored only two goals when New York had a goalie in the net. I want to play the Rangers at home after getting blanked all day and twice on Sunday. Florida has a really good team, and the Rangers should be fully focused and make the necessary adjustments to get a split before heading down to the Sunshine State.