2024 Eastern Conference Final: New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Game 6 Open Thread

The Prince of Wales Trophy is in the building at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise tonight, but the Rangers aren't hoping to see it quite yet. After dropping Game 5 on Thursday and now facing elimination for the first time this postseason, the Blueshirts will need a season extending performance in order to force a Game 7 back in New York.

The story of the series has been the Panthers' dominance in the third period, a story that had yet another chapter written in Game 5 as a 1-1 game with 20:00 to go turned into a 3-2 Florida victory to give the Panthers' a 3-2 series lead. Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad combined for a shorthanded goal to crack the score sheet for the first time in the Eastern Conference Final, and Zibanejad notched an assist on the Rangers' second goal, but it wasn't enough to emerge victorious. No guarantees of victory have been made as they were 30 years ago in this same situation, so it'll be up to the players on the ice to let their actions speak for them tonight.

Player to Watch: Artemiy Panarin

After scoring the overtime winner in Game 3 against Carolina, his fourth game winning goal in seven playoff games, Panarin had appeared to shed all previous labels of being a playoff no-show. Unfortunately, that goal eight games ago was the last time Panarin found the back of the net, and the superstar forward has only recorded five assists over that stretch in which the Rangers have gone 3-5. Panarin's longest goal drought of the regular season was five games, so it's been an inopportune time for him to go cold. If the Blueshirts are going to extend their season beyond tonight, it'll likely take a special effort out of #10, so keep an eye on Panarin in what could be the final game of New York's 2023-24 campaign.

Enjoy the game!