Rangers-Panthers Eastern Conference Finals Preview | Ep. 158 | Up in the Blue Seats

On a new episode of the “Up In The Blue Seats” podcast with Brian Boyle, Mollie Walker and Larry Brooks, they open the show talking about Chris Kreider’s heroic performance in the comeback win in Game 6 in Carolina. They discuss the series win over the Hurricanes, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals and they preview their series against the Panthers and make their predictions.
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[@MrVinman711]

Kreider's Game 6 will live forever. That was incredible.

[@buckmerdoc8860]

As soon as the NYR are eliminated, it'll be forgotten!

[@lmpjr88]

It was inKREIDible …

[@Justin-eg4mh]

From the heart of the Midwest in STL, LETS GO RANGERS!!!!

[@pingamalinga]

LGR! We believe!

[@Justme77400]

Brian, I'm totally with you on ESPN. I was IRATE when they were showing women's basketball over the NHL game 7. It was unbelievable.

[@occultustactical6138]

Yeah and all the rumors about the WNBA sucking came true. It was only like 30 seconds left and all this chicks are throwing up bricks. Pathetic. Then on the inbound pass they avoid Clark for the three and instead drive the basket. Stupid call. They can’t possibly allow a white chick to hit a three to win the game. They would rather lose the game. The WNBA is a joke and should fold up like a cheap suit.

[@occultustactical6138]

When I look back at the regular season and the losses to cheesy teams, makes me think how much better it could have been. Then they beat the Bruins in all four meetings. Complete Jeckle and Hyde.

[@Linski97]

Rangers in 6 🙏

[@Arcturian1111]

8 more to go, im so excited for this whole organization. Rangers in 6. I Subbed you 3 great peeps.

[@danmulvaney4580]

That deflection for his 2nd was ungodly man… the intangible belief that they can win any game is an asset beyond measure no analyst is talking about.

[@commie22]

To be fair, Larry Brooks talked about their mindset that they can always win in this podcast. But yeah agree, playoff hockey is so psychological, it really does come down to more than size and skill, intangibles matter much more

[@danmulvaney4580]

@@commie22 Oh you are absolutely correct about Larry, I wasnt knocking these guys. The analyst's Im referring to are the talking heads outside the NY market that dont know sh*t about this team and are getting talking points before a game. 5v5, Shots on Goal, blah blah blah... Thats why I like tuning into to these guys - they know the team. ESPN nitwits are/were talking about how great Carolina defense is while at that very moment NYR were scoring a goal and dominating the prior 10 minutes of play. How about our Penalty Kill absolutely shutting down the BEST Power Play team in the league ? Thats why I like tuning into to these guys - they know the team -

[@rangers11ization]

This series reminds me of the 2014 finals.Speed and skill vs size and strength.Rangers win in overtime of game 7.And we all age ten years watching it.

[@awwwshucks443]

Panthers aren't slouches in the speed department. Cats in six

[@raoulduke3770]

Rangers have some size also. People act like the Rangers weren’t one of the top teams in hits this season.

[@jamesmihaley3228]

@@awwwshucks443we have igor u dont. Hahahahahahahahahahha rangers in 5.

[@awwwshucks443]

@@jamesmihaley3228 Bob with the shut out.

[@ohbaby-baby]

I couldn't wait for this edition of Up in the Blue Seats,... just to see Molly's smile and laugh and she did not disappoint. Her breaking up when Brian said he must of said that 300 times was priceless. She was also all giggles when she posed her question to Lavi and Drury later at their press conference.

[@thethomasj1795]

No one will be surprised if this goes 7. I'm hoping the Rangers can wrap it up in 6 ESPN has been screwing up a lot during the NHL playoffs. I did the same thing l, went to 2 and it's Cornhold, which o kind of enjoy, but NOT when I'm amped up for a game 7! Brian, pick a side and stick to it! All the love! ❤

[@christopherkuehn3947]

Rangers in 5!

[@GonzoA211]

I wish. Lol. But unfortunately, I see it going 6 or 7 games. If Chytil can get that 3rd line going, and our stars perform as they need to this time of year, Igor does his thing, Fox and Trouba prove to be healthier than the last round, and the rest of the D clears the crease, then I can see Rangers in 5. The absolute most important thing for the Rangers to do in, order to win the series, is that they have to be relentless every shift for 3 full periods to get to 4 wins. LGR's!!!

[@JedWunderli]

@@GonzoA211 I wish. I'll be happy if they win this series. Florida is tough!!

[@StinkfaceMcPew]

Hell yeah

[@user-Chris-n3n]

@@GonzoA211😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 delusional

[@jdigioia1130]

Another great show by this group! From a NY sports fan living here in CO, you have no idea how much I appreciate your insights. LGR - in 7! 💥

[@alexkatsanos8475]

Ranger fans wanted to trade Kreider every year since 2016 when they started to ship JT Miller, Skjei, Fast etc out. Luckily they didnt. Will be interesting to see if the Panthers can clear guys from in front of their net. They do it better than anybody.

[@CCBreadman74]

Rangers in 6… maybe 7… if Shesty stays the course & dominates like he does, checking, checking & more checking.. put those kitty cats into the boards & hard.. we need help from the bottom lines.. top 6 put it into over drive guys!!! LFGR!!!!!!!

[@dianemartin2971]

Rangers in 6 !!!

[@edwarddonohue6396]

Rangers in six again 🎉

[@gailoakley4010]

LETS GO RANGERS!!!❤️💙❤️💙

[@mikhailguzman]

Rangers in 6

[@tonyberezowski7859]

The last person to ever wear #20 for the NY Rangers.

[@u.s.m.c.fewproudthemarines2987]

Jan Exrion

[@tonyberezowski7859]

@@u.s.m.c.fewproudthemarines2987 No. I'm saying no one will ever wear it after Kreider!!! lol

[@anthonybarlow1767]

Igor would not let that game get away. He set the stage! There's a very funny picture of Chris on the bench after he scored the 3rd goal. 😋🏒🍸

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Igor let the game get away, with help of Laffy.

[@gmercede]

Rangers seem unstoppable. The bigger the challenge the harder they play. LGR!

[@user-Chris-n3n]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jayberman9221]

Blueshirts sweep Cats! Igor 2 shutouts, CK 4 more PP goals, Rangers PK perfect, zero goals allowed. This is our year!!!

[@JedWunderli]

I love your prediction!! I don't think it will happen, but I would love it if it did!!

[@josephgrosso8731]

I wish I could be that confident! LGR!!!

[@etahhcumosevahi]

You’d be spot on 100% so far if you just switched the teams in your prediction. 🤣

[@victoriaborden-r4p]

Rangers in 6! LGR

[@joeshmoe7789]

All aspects of ESPN's coverage are terrible. Wrong camera angles, the backs of players getting on the bench while play is on. Name tags, that block the view of the puck at times, above the player's names during PP. They're also distracting and pull eyes away from the puck. Close ups of sticks hitting pucks, but you have to wait for them to cut to another camera angle to see where the puck was sent. Analysts that talk about junk that should be saved for the pre game or between periods and don't talk about the actual play. Why show the names of players getting off the ice? Keep the camera on the ice when the defenseman holds the puck behind the net so we can see who's on the ice. At least TNT has improved since last year, they're still not great, just better.

[@michaelmarro1011]

Who do we put on Tkachuk?? Tarasenko I’m not too worried about

[@MrHyde11976]

Rangers in 5! Lets go!

[@paddy160160]

New York Rangers in 7 #RangersPride #LGR

[@jessicaclarebecker125]

I like LB's comparison of Florida to the 2015 Rangers. Florida isn't going back to the Final, Rangers in 6.

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Have you watched any FL games? 🤣

[@jessicaclarebecker125]

@@etahhcumosevahi Yes.

[@diegocossio-n5z]

go rangers .... go rempe !!!

[@donniejunior8658]

Brian Boyle game winner game 7 triple overtime

[@omoteshuto]

The vocal fry is really a killer.

[@thomasdrogon363]

LFG NYR!!

[@rondipierro8677]

Mika,Krieds and the bread man have to be on top of their game for them to win period Rangers in 6

[@JedWunderli]

I'm nervous as heck for this series but I'd love the Blue Shirts in 7 (if they could win it in fewer than 7, I'd be fine with that) and then let's win a Cup against the Stars!!

[@ShibaInu154]

Agree with LB: Rangers are best when the pace is FAST. Igor is Igor and the top lines are more effective.

[@paddy160160]

Zib line is wayyy better playing as fast as possible

[@dp6297]

Everyone on here is so scared…..RANGERS SWEEP!!!!! 😂😂😂

[@Stevedrums741]

YUP! Being a fan since 1979, I have PTSD with this franchise

[@dp6297]

@@Stevedrums741. Yes sir! That’s why you have to go for broke! It wasn’t the Kreider hat trick that shocked me. It was the empty net goal with a minute left that shocked me! Been a fan since 82

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Sweep huh?

[@dp6297]

@@etahhcumosevahi Didn’t have the Rangers scoring against themselves.

[@franktrig]

Rangers in 6 ulcer in 1.

[@MontySeeMontyDo]

I totally agree with Brian. Both ESPN AND ABC audio is god aweful. If it’s hockey or basketball you cannot hear the commentators. Between the crowd noise and music. NBA games are even worse because all they do is pump in music, and sound effects in nonstop. You’re better off putting the game on with the volume down, and turn on the radio broadcast. As long as you’re ok with Dave Maloney stepping all over Rosen lol

[@robertlavorna2968]

I'm a big a fan of the rangers a there is, a fan since the late 60s. I read all the comments, dillusional!!!....they may win cause it's their year, but all these people watching haven't watched the panthers enough. They are a BEAST...theyare excellent, I'm rooting but old enough to not be dillusional!!!

[@markdenicolas5997]

Rangers in 6 games…bread is gonna turn it up in this series

[@ryanloral]

Don't forget NYR could have won in 4, even after going down 3-1 in the first. They could have had 7 goals, played their best gm, Canes were terrible, and that was a bad loss. Gm 5 Rangers were dreadful. 3rd period of gm 6 was legendary.

[@blueshirtshockey93]

Cant pick against NYR hoping NYR in Six 🙏🏼❤️

[@FTulumello]

I think we're making a mistake by not having Rempe in the lineup for at least the first game to let Florida know we have the ultimate a punisher. Try to hurt our guys and Rempe will be back in following games.

[@PattiInNYC]

Love this podcast! Mollie, did I hear you teasing Lav in the media avail, lol. I'm so excited for the EC #LGR #NoQuitInNY

[@user-co3ve6ud8o]

We need to put rempe in this round

[@aryusure1943]

Hey Mr Brooks, remember the times you were pushing Chris on a regular basis? I do. ;) It took him a while but I think we can say that he has arrived since 2021-2022.

[@ElDiegoMCO]

I see a lot of hockey media people picking Florida over the Rangers. I wonder how these people would vote if it were Carolina vs Florida? These playoffs are so odd when it comes to the odds or expectations. I don't remember this happening before.

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Florida is way better than Carolina. You have to watch 82 games for all 3 teams. Then you’ll see the difference.

[@surfLBABNY5017]

Agree with others, Rangers in 6

[@NHLCrazy2007]

The Rangers will win this series in 6 or 7 games. They have to.... oh, and Brian... I was living in Los Angeles at the time you were on that 2014 Finals team. Painful is putting it lightly on how I have still not recovered from that very bitter series loss to the Kings. Oh yeah, and then the Kings' parade was yards from my apartment window. My life was never the same after June 13, 2014. They won't get exact revenge on L.A. here, but the Rangers can win it all this year.

[@anotherjoshua]

oh we'll drag you, brian.

[@robertperrotto870]

Mollie, sv % is misleading, Bob made the saves when they were needed, and THATS what is important, and makes him a Vezina finalist.

[@albie21121]

Let people finish Larry and then chyme in, damn. Might have to rename this, "up in Larry's seats"

[@jcg9998]

Larry Brooks comment is accurate. Now that Florida got past Boston, the attitude is definitely "We are going back" among Florida fans.

[@michaelmarro1011]

Idk. Being a fan since 1977. I am certainly excited as well as a little nervous My nerves come from a few things. The defense, not sure if they are healthy 2. lines 3&4 need to produce 3. Panerin needs to be lights out What do you guys think?

[@josephgrosso8731]

I feel your angst! I have fingers crossed Rangers get to finals🙏🙏🙏 LGR!!!

[@danielhayes7960]

If the Rangers 3 line gets going with offense I think that will get some of the pressure off 1&2 lines and that way we will not depend on the pp all the time . 4 line has to keep grinding and have to put a shadow on Reinhart! Have no doubt Shesty will play big! And Trouba has to not turn puck over like he did in last series! Blueshirts in6! LGR!!!

[@user-de6io2lh1k]

Florida in 6

[@justinfalzon6854]

My biggest fear is over coaching the lineup, and creating uncertainty in the locker room. We got Chytil and Wheeler now who want to be in the line up, Chytil makes the squad it seems like, which means Cuyle is moving down the 4th line, and Rempe is out. And I like Rempe. I'm worried we are going to over coach ourselves out of it.

[@TheDmonet]

It's not overcoaching..Chytil was a top 6 talent when he wasn't hurt and the one game he played last series he looked great. Rempe is a goon.

[@justinfalzon6854]

@@TheDmonet Florida is a gritty team. We can use a goon. I'm not saying Chytil isn't a better hockey player. I'm just saying Rempe has a place. If you ask me, Kakko has been iffy. I'd keep Rempe for the fourth line for pushback. Since they are trade deadline acquisions, I also have no loyalty towards Wennberg or Roslovic either, who were pretty much picked up so we can replace Chytil and Wheeler. So if they are back, let them sit if someone is going to sit.

[@TheDmonet]

Wenneberg has been iffy. You can't take Roslovic off the Kreider Mika line. Kakko is a good defensive player and as much as people were disappointed him, I'd take him over Wheeler at his best pre injury. Wheeler is slow.

[@justinfalzon6854]

@@TheDmonet I concur with most of that sentiment. But you have to understand where I'm coming from. We are doing well with the lines the way they were and with grit. If we try to overload on skill we might face a collapse light last year. All skill. No muscle. And that was against the Puss Devils. Imagine a team like Florida with their menacing play along the walls. I'm not saying those other players aren't better at hockey than Rempe. Just that Rempe brings size and muscle and swag to the other guys, and that's something that DOES have a place. We can't play this like a video game where the 'best players' make the line up because their number is higher. The 'best player' doesn't have to be the most talented, he has to be the 'best player for the job'.

[@justinfalzon6854]

@@TheDmonet and a BIG bonus to Rempe that no one mentions is - is that he takes up a lot of attention from the opposing team, fans. and refs. He takes a ton of pressure off the top guys with everyone looking at him wondering what he's going to do.

[@demetriosvratis6583]

the new york rangers will win the series

[@patriciavernon9795]

Brian, why do you as well as most of the analysts on the NHL Network keep saying it was an epic Carolina collapse as though the Rangers especially Kreider would not have done what they did but for Carolina’s collapse. Let’s give the Rangers some credit for things they were doing that helped contribute to Carolina’s collapse…. Laviolette did say after the series was over with Carolina that there were guys on the team dealing with the flu, I think that may have contributed to the game 5 loss. Mika still sounded sick in his press conference today. It is not in their DNA to use it as an excuse…. Totally agree, ESPN is the worst! They better not have a Heidi Bowl moment during these playoffs! 😡

[@FTulumello]

I dont like how the Rangers defense back into their own zone all most always. Stand up to and play the man like Brad Park used to say. Forcheckers too much stick checking in general, play the body.

[@ryanesposito5755]

Game 1 winner wins the series.

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Well then. GG.

[@ryanesposito5755]

Panthers in 6

[@AnxietyAdvertisement]

Boyle should be running this show no doubt

[@robertperrotto870]

For the Rangers to win this series, they need production from Chytl-Wennberg-Kakko line, Fox needs to be healthy, and Trouba needs to step and be physical, quite frankly, Trouba seemed to be standing still too many times this playoffs.

[@user-Chris-n3n]

Panthers in 5

[@billviola7884]

Rangers in 7

[@nyujay2010]

Sorry to say, but Trouba stinks and should not be the captain. If he turns the puck over as much as he has in the playoffs, especially in front of Igor that leads to opponent goals, Florida will pounce (pun intended) on every opportunity. He has caused the Rangers dearly and was on the ice for 8 consecutive opponent goals. He slow and out of his element compared to these top teams. Drop him down to the fourth d-line and get rid of him in the off-season. Kreider or Trocheck can be the next captain. Otherwise, LET'S GO RANGERS!

[@streaker8592]

Rangers in 6 🏒 🏑 🏒

[@robertperrotto870]

of course it's different - they didn't go out and get big name rentals. Taranseco in Feb and Kane at the deadline ruined line chemistry.

[@humanbeing2420]

And they have a coaching staff that seems to get the most out of this group.

[@Garythefireman66]

#LFGR 🔴⚪🔵

[@michaelmarro1011]

Are you guys that confident?

[@daviddeutsch9912]

I miss Boyle come out of retirement

[@KillJoy323]

LGR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rgsrbgolfing2779]

If you’re going to keep doing the lame stuff with the three stars, why bother. First giving it to the fans twice in a row and now all 3 stars to Kreids. Come on. Kreids #1 Igor #2 Panarin #3 with two huge assists.

[@Gregory-dj1lg]

Don't bite your nails, Mollie!

[@rdubbya244]

That was a rough stretch...lol

[@davidglazer1122]

just hope rangers can win 2 games...either way, been a good season for a team that is not one of the best 2 teams in the east. still need to upgrade the core b/c they really have almost no chance to win a cup

[@dennislopez1272]

Cats in 6

[@dumpybear8664]

Just started the video...hopefully Mollie is in a better mood today. Game 5 Mollie was a downer.

[@D...M...A...]

Sweep... F - Flora-duh ...

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Say what?

[@BlakeWheelersBurnerAccount]

ESPN sucks at hockey

[@phillyb4588]

Florida is 5 sorry tossy

[@RobertBauman-o3i]

Mollie you should do more talking then giggling.

[@paulgiarmoleo3469]

Larry brooks is awful

[@monkeyshines11]

Why does Mollie act stoned all the time?

[@u.s.m.c.fewproudthemarines2987]

GD????!

[@Ronnie-ok2bc]

Rangers in 6!!!

[@Heatmiser47]

Rangers in 6