Game #34: New York Rangers vs Florida Panthers Open Thread

With the calendar year in its final days, the Rangers have hit the road for their final road trip of 2023. Much like New Yorkers that don’t play hockey for a living, the Blueshirts have made their way to Florida for warmer weather and the final games of the calendar year. A back to back set of games begins tonight in Sunrise as Peter Laviolette’s squad pays a visit to Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, and the rest of the reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers.

After emerging from the Christmas break with a dominating home victory over the Washington Capitals, the Rangers will continue their stretch of games against old Southeast Division opponents with Florida tonight, followed by Tampa Bay tomorrow.

Player to Watch: Jacob Trouba

After leaving Wednesday’s game against Washington with an upper body injury, Trouba was back at practice on Thursday and is expected to dress for tonight’s contest. His usual defensive partner, K’Andre Miller, thrived to the tune of two goals and an assist in Trouba’s absence, so it bears watching how the two perform once reunited tonight. Keep an eye on Trouba as he looks to log a full game’s worth of shifts this time around.

Enjoy the game!