SUNRISE, Fla. — The Rangers didn’t lose to the Panthers in the Eastern Conference finals because of a few inconsequential personnel decisions, but it certainly became a factor in ending their playoff run.
When Peter Laviolette chose to insert Filip Chytil into the lineup for Game 3 of the Blueshirts’ second-round matchup against the Hurricanes, the Rangers head coach justified the decision – made while his club had a record 6-0 in the playoffs – saying it was about maximizing his bench.
It gave the Rangers a boost in the moment and allowed them to secure a double-overtime victory, their seventh straight playoff victory, but it also became another thing for Laviolette to deal with.
Laviolette pitched his 10th consecutive different lineup in the Blueshirts’ 2-1 loss to the Panthers in Game 6 Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena, where the decision to replace Matt Rempe with Jonny Brodzinski hardly played a role in keeping the club apart. scoreboard until 6:20 p.m. of the third period.
However, putting the lines in a blender the way he did proved to be an understandable last-ditch effort that strayed from how Laviolette has performed throughout the season.
By placing Alex Wennberg on the right wing of the first line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, Laviolette placed Chytil in the middle of the third line between Barclay Goodrow and Kaapo Kakko.
While the second line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière remained intact as it did for all but 10 games this season, the fourth unit included Brodzinski, Will Cuylle and Jack Roslovic.
For a team that has largely shown continuity in both line combinations and defensive pairings for the majority of the 2023-24 campaign, this has become something to consider.
After his triumphant return following a recovery period of more than six months following a suspected concussion, Chytil fell ill when something passed through the room and also affected other players, and was unable to return on the ice two mornings later for Game 4. against Carolina. He was then too sore to play the fifth game.
Brodzinski intervened.
Then it was Rempe.
Then again Brodzinski.
For Games 1, 2, and 3 of the Conference Finals, Chytil played every game, but Kakko was healthy in the second game before Jimmy Vesey suffered an upper body injury in the first game at Sunrise.
The injury allowed Blake Wheeler to return to the lineup for the first time since suffering a gruesome lower-body injury on Feb. 15, but the loss of Vesey on the fourth line became another obstacle to cross.
However, by the second game in Florida, the Rangers left Chytil out of the lineup in the name of load management.
It quickly became clear that the Rangers valued Chytil to a lesser extent than their other options, which is understandable, but nonetheless a balancing act when you’re trying to put a player in a position to succeed.
The Rangers were never going to go 16-0 in the playoffs, but the playoffs became considerably tougher the moment changes were made.
In theory, the involvement of Chytil and Wheeler was important to the longevity of the Rangers’ run, but it also played a role in the team’s ultimate demise.
New York Post
