3 things to know about NY Rangers vs. Florida Panthers in Eastern Conference Final

The Rangers are still reveling in Thursday’s epic Game 6 comeback win to close out their second-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes. But while fans bask in the glow of Chris Kreider’s historic third-period hat trick, the team knows it will have to turn the page fairly quickly.

Now we know exactly who the next chapter will feature.

The Florida Panthers finished off their second-round series in six games, as well, culminating with Friday’s 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins. That set up the Eastern Conference Final most have been anticipating between the conference’s top-two teams.

The best-of-seven series will begin with Game 1 on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at Madison Square and run on an every-other-day schedule. In the meantime, the Rangers will replicate their preparation strategy from the previous two rounds − take a couple days off to recuperate, then hunker down with a few practices aimed at gearing up for the next opponent.

“We’ve been fortunate with the way that the season ended, the way the first round ended,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “What you guys are going to see when you’re in there is a little bit of rest, followed by a mini training camp to try and get ready for the next opponent and get our work done, as well. I think we’ll have a few days. I think we’ll be afforded some of that again, which is nice, and then we'll be ready when they tell us it’s time to go.”

The Panthers took two of three regular-season meetings, with the Blueshirts’ lone victory coming in the third and final head-to-head game on Mar. 23. They rallied from a 2-0 deficit behind a pair of goals from Artemi Panarin, including the tying tally with 3:25 remaining in regulation, before prevailing in the shootout.

Game 6 takeaways: Chris Kreider's hat trick propels Rangers to stunning comeback

This will mark the second ever New York vs. Florida playoff matchup, with the Rangers claiming the only other series, 4-1, back in the first round of the 1996-97 season.

Let’s take an early look at what to expect this time around:

This will be the Rangers' toughest test yet

Not only are the Panthers the defending conference champions, but you could make a strong case they’re even better this season.

They won the difficult Atlantic Division, which is considerably deeper than the Metro, while finishing four points behind the Rangers overall. And they’re one of the only teams in the NHL that has the star power to match New York.

It starts with a core that remains intact from last year’s run, led by a proven playoff force in Matthew Tkachuk. He blends skill and snarl as well as anyone in the league and will be a handful for the Blueshirts to deal with.

Is there any winger you'd rather have on your team come playoff time?

But it goes much deeper than Tkachuk. No. 1 center Aleksander Barkov is a dynamite two-way player who’s expected to win his second Selke Trophy when upcoming awards are announced and Sam Reinhart is a high-end finisher who poured in 57 goals for the NHL’s second-highest total this season. Factor in shutdown defensemen in Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling, plus Vezina Trophy finalist Sergei Bobrovsky in net, and Florida has high-end players at every position.

That was further bolstered with the offseason signings of defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Niko Mikkola and the trade-deadline addition of a familiar face in Vladimir Tarasenko, giving these Cats one of the deepest rosters in the league.

A battle of grit

It’s not just about talent with these Panthers, either.

They’ve seemingly achieved the mix of skill and grit that every team strives for. Tkachuk leads that charge, but there’s plenty of other sandpaper throughout this lineup.

Rangers’ fans will quickly learn to detest the likes of Sam Bennett, Nick Cousins and Ryan Lomberg, who bring that hard-to-play-against edge that’s so often talked about at this time of year. They’ll throw the body, forecheck like their hair is on fire and take every opportunity they can to annoy opponents – and they’re no slouches in the offensive department, either. That’s especially true for Bennett, who registered 20 goals in 69 games played this season.

Those pesky forwards will engage in every puck battle and make it difficult for the Blueshirts to enter the offensive zone. And once they’re in, there won’t be much space to operate. That’s because Florida also boasts a big, mobile D corps, led by the 6-foot-4 Ekblad and Mikkola, with no defensemen under 6-feet tall.

The result is a team that's going to make you earn every inch of ice you get and can beat you in a variety of ways. They can play the possession game and produce more than their share of offense, as evidenced by having a top-five xGF during the regular season (53.93%), according to Evolving Hockey, and they can defend with the best of them, having tied the Winnipeg Jets for the NHL’s best goals against average at 2.41.

Coaching titans

Laviolette became the seventh coach in league history to eclipse 800 career wins this season, with only two active coaches ahead of him.

At the top of that list is Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who ranks fourth all-time with 869 victories on his resume. The only thing missing is a championship, which Laviolette achieved back in 2006 after replacing Maurice on the Hurricanes' bench.

Now they're paths are crossing again, giving Maurice a crack at a measure of redemption nearly two decades later.

There have been some ups and downs along the way, with the 57-year-old posting a modest career win percentage of .470, compared to .534 for Laviolette. But there’s no denying the jolt Maurice has provided since arriving in Florida last season. They’ve fully bought into his demanding style and become one of the NHL’s most complete, hard-working teams on his watch, which is similar to the influence Laviolette has had since arriving on Broadway.

That’s led to a matchup between two of hockey’s active coaching titans, with a chance for whoever prevails to add an important chapter to their legacy.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 3 things to know about NY Rangers vs. Florida Panthers Eastern Conference Final