Another tough goalie matchup, ‘Steady Stenny’ and more Panthers notes before Rangers Game 1

The Florida Panthers have already battled their way past the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Boston Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Their reward? Challenging goaltender No. 3 in the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin during the Eastern Conference final.

Entering Game 1 on Wednesday, Shesterkin has the highest save percentage of the goaltenders still competing in the playoffs at .923. His 2.40 goals against average, however, ranks third behind the Dallas Stars’ Jake Oettinger (2.09) and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky (2.37).

”We are going to see a matchup of two great ones,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of Shesterkin and Bobrovsky. “And it’s a theme for our playoffs because Vasilevskiy was very strong at certain points in that series. I think Swayman had a .955 [save percentage] at some point in our series. ... There’s going to be some world-class players in the opposition and on our side, too.”

Bobrovsky called the matchup a “good challenge.”

“He’s just a good, balanced goalie,” Bobrovksy said. “It’s not going to be easy to score on him.”

‘Steady Stenny’ critical to fourth line

When at full strength, the Panthers have used two different combinations of players on their fourth line.

The first features Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo on the wings. The second consists of Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins on the outside.

The constant regardless of the situation: Kevin Stenlund.

“Our new nickname for him is ‘Steady Stenny,’” Cousins said Wednesday.

The Panthers signed Stenlund to a one-year, $1 million deal that has proven to be a bargain considering his role. He’s the top forward on the team’s penalty kill that has shown marked improvement from last year and has been the mainstay on an ever-changing fourth line — and sometimes moving up to the third line when injuries dictated it — without any drop off in production.

“He’s crucial for the fourth line for sure,” Lomberg said. “Defensively, he’s so good. He’s had such a big role on the PK that he’s earned the right to be steady and that’s really what he is. He’s great on his [faceoff] draws. He works hard. He can move out there. He can make plays. He’s just a staple.”

Added Cousins: “I honestly didn’t know too much about him when we signed him, but he’s been great. ... He’s a big body that can hang on to the puck and he actually has a lot of underrated skill that maybe he doesn’t get recognized for. He’s really come into his own this year.”

As for Stenlund, he said there is minimal impact on his game regardless of who is on his wings.

“It’s different,” Stenlund said, “but we all have the same mindset to be hard on pucks, forecheck and skate well. There’s nothing to change for me.”

Familiar faces

There a slew of cross connections between the Panthers and the Rangers.

From the player standpoint, the biggest is Vincent Trocheck, a third-round pick by the Panthers in 2011 who spent seven seasons with Florida before being traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and then ultimately signing with the Rangers ahead of the 2022-23 season.

“Whenever we play each other, we cross paths and maybe say hi,’’ Panthers captain Sasha Barkov said Tuesday night of Trocheck. “Obviously not this time, maybe after. I am happy for him. He is doing well here, playing really well here, and I am happy for him.’’

Alex Wennberg on the Rangers also played the Panthers during the 2020-21 season.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Tarasenko and Niko Mikkola on the Panthers were acquired by the Rangers together in a 2023 trade by the St. Louis Blues. That 2023 Rangers team lost in the first round to the New Jersey Devils.