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Posted at 2:00 PM EST.

OT included. We like the Panthers. We have said so from the start of the season and still believe them to be a very dangerous squad. However, we also insist that goaltending decides the outcome of most games and in that regard, Florida is a massive risk when spotting a price. James Reimer has been pulled in back-to-back games. Florida’s backup is Antti Niemi and his .822 save percentage. The starting goaltender has not been confirmed yet but does it really matter? Not only is weak goaltending a serious flaw but it also drains the life out of the players. They work so hard to get a goal and finally bury one only to have their goaltender allow a softy minutes later. With weak goaltednding, no lead is safe and chasing a game becomes even more of an uphill battle.

The Rangers have had a terrible start to the season, and it can be mainly attributed to their goaltending struggles and weak defensive play but the Rags are quietly showing some improvements. They rank 20th in Corsi For but they have moved up nine positions over their past five games, which shows a big improvement in puck possession. They’re also coming off a couple of confidence boosters. At home against the Golden Knights, New York was down 4-2 heading into the third period. Instead of wallowing away in their misery, the Rags rallied for four unanswered goals in the third en route to a 6-4 victory. That carried over to an even more impressive victory in Tampa Bay on Thursday, where New York would outshot and out-chance the then red-hot Bolts. Suddenly, there is a different feel in the Rags locker room. The defense is playing much better and now they’ll face a Florida team that is forced to make a decision between Reimer and Niemi. Both decisions are the wrong one.         

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