Game 4 lineup: How the Rangers 'calm confidence' has spurred playoff success

RALEIGH, N.C. - Artemi Panarin was at a loss for words after scoring his fourth game-winning goal of these playoffs to seal the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, but it was a much different story in the visitor’s locker room at PNC Arena less than 30 minutes earlier.

As the Blueshirts were regrouping after allowing the tying goal to Andrei Svechnikov with 1:36 left in the regulation to send Game 3 of this second-round series to OT, their usually light-hearted team MVP stood up and addressed the group.

“It was just making sure that we’re staying resilient, not hanging our heads,” linemate Vincent Trocheck recalled about Panarin's message. “Obviously, we don’t want to give up a goal late like that, but sticking with it – coming in here and knowing the next goal wins the game."

There are a few obvious reasons for the Rangers’ torrid start this postseason, during which they’ve gone 7-0 to match a franchise record that dates back to their 1994 championship run.

That list starts with special teams, where they’ve dominated through seven games by converting 34.5% of their power plays (10-for-29) and killing 93.8% of the penalties they’ve defended (30-for-32), and quickly extends to goaltending, with Igor Shesterkin's .935 save percentage leading all netminders who have started three or more playoff contests.

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Their dominance in those key areas has frustrated a high-quality Canes’ team and pushed them to the brink of elimination heading into Game 4 on Saturday at 7 p.m.

“We’re focusing on how bad we’re playing, but really, we’re playing pretty damn good,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said immediately following the demoralizing Game 3 loss. “I look at that. I’m separating. There’s two games going on here, and if you want to write the right story, that’s what’s going on. We’re losing one badly, but we’re doing pretty damn good on the other one. … That’s the difference.”

Brind’Amour wasn't completely off base.

There has been a clear line of delineation between five-on-five play, where the Hurricanes have outshot the Rangers by an 89-63 margin through three games – although it should be noted that New York has outscored them, 6-5, in 5v5 situations – and the lopsided special teams' battle, where they've been outscored 5-0.

But there’s another factor that the Canes’ coach failed to mention – one that’s much harder to quantify with stats.

It’s the knack these Blueshirts have for conquering adversity and coming through in the clutch moments.

"It starts right from the start of the year," defenseman Braden Schneider explained. "One, how hard we work in practice. I think that's something. We compete. We know what we all expect out of each other, and we know what each other can give. And then also, I think it built throughout the regular season. We've been in a lot of moments and positions in games where we were down a goal late, or down a couple of goals, and we've built that confidence in ourselves that, if there's a little bit of a gap, we still have a chance. We're not out of it."

That unwavering fortitude − Schneider called it "a calm confidence" − has been cemented this season, particularly since hiring head coach Peter Laviolette to intensify their daily routines and foster a hard-working mindset. But for much of the core, that process started two years ago.

Fourteen current Rangers were around for the 2022 trip to the Eastern Conference Final, the first real postseason experience for many of them. That run created self-belief by both proving that they belong and showing what it takes to win at this time of year.

Then came the disappointment of the 2023 playoffs, where New York was ousted in the first round by rival the New Jersey Devils and forced to spend a long summer stewing in it.

It served as a stinging reminder of how fleeting success can be, and while it was difficult to find positives in that crushing moment, that scar tissue has hardened into thicker skin for today's Rangers.

"Going through that, it's a feeling that you don't ever want to feel again," Schneider said. "But at the same time, there's so much to gain from those scenarios. I think this year, it's really showing through. Those experiences are so important. It’s not knowing how to lose, but losing in general, it builds something. I think it's built a lot of character within our group. This year, it's showing that no matter what the game presents, I feel like we always have a chance. I know our whole locker room feels the same."

It's all part of the difficult process of developing into a true Stanley Cup contender.

History tells us the path to a championship is rarely linear, with necessary ups and downs along the way. And while the Rangers still have a long way to get there − nine more wins, to be exact − their collective resolve is proving to be a vital asset.

It's shown up again and again in critical moments, leading a league-high 32 comeback wins between the regular season and playoffs, including four in their last six games. And it's come in many different forms − whether it's veterans like Panarin, Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad scoring clutch goals with the game on the line, young players like Schneider, Alexis Lafrenière and K'Andre Miller remaining poised when the outcome hangs in the balance, or Shesterkin raising his level when he's needed the most.

That's why Panarin was able to deliver his message with conviction at a time when the team could have easily been deflated or flustered, then come out for OT and put those words into action.

"Bread spoke up in the locker room," Trocheck said. "And then he spoke up on the ice.”

NY Rangers (7-0) projected lineup: Game 4, second round, Carolina Hurricanes (4-4)

When: Saturday, May 11 at 7 p.m.

Where: PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

TV/Radio: TNT/98.7 FM

Forwards

Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Jack Roslovic (RW)

Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Alex Wennberg (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Fourth line ⊳ Barclay Goodrow (LW) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (C) ⋄ Jimmy Vesey (RW)

Defensemen

Top pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)

Second pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)

Third pair ⊳ Erik Gustafsson (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

Goalies

Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin

Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick

Game-time decision: F Filip Chytil

Healthy scratches: G Louis Domingue, F Adam Edström,D Zac Jones, F Matt Rempe and D Chad Ruhwedel

Long-term injured reserve: F Blake Wheeler (lower body)

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: Rangers Game 4 lineup: Confidence spurring playoff success