3 Positives and 3 Negatives From Rangers' Game 4 Overtime Loss
![May 26, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) tends the net against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports May 26, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) tends the net against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game three of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3711,h_2087,x_0,y_169/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/210/01hz15chd38agjnj2fyg.jpg)
Positive: Power Play is Finally on the Board
After going on a massive drought this postseason, the powerplay finally got on the board in Game Four. The top powerplay unit got on the board with a Vincent Trocheck slap shot set up by great passes from Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. The unit looked great again in the first period as Mika Zibanejad just missed a few times otherwise the Rangers would have taken an early 2-0 lead. The Rangers will need for this powerplay to fully click if they're going to win this series, but the team is headed in the right direction.
Negative: The Big Guns Have Done Nothing
If the New York Rangers are going to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in 30 years it starts with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider carrying the load offensively. Through four games against the Panthers, the trio has been silent.
Artemi Panarin has been the most productive of the trio yet, he has just 3 assists with no goals. As one of the most dynamic scorers in the NHL, the Rangers can ill afford to have Panarin go quiet in the playoffs and need to get him going.
The Rangers top line has struggled with scoring five on five and the struggles are shining through in this series. Peter Laviolette has tried rotating as many right wings as possible through the top line yet, no one has helped the duo with producing. Zibanejad and Kreider have yet to record a point in this series despite spending nearly 20 minutes on the ice per game and spending time on the top powerplay unit. If the Zibanejad and Kreider duo can't find a way to produce in game five the team may need to split the pairing up. Zibanejad also made a terrible decision in overtime costing the team as Blake Wheeler was forced to take a penalty.