Matt Rempe’s spot in lineup hinging on Rangers’ 2nd-round opponent

The New York Rangers comfortably cruised into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The sensation that is Matt Rempe is not skating on such firm ice.

Rempe’s spot in the Blueshirts’ lineup moving forward remains uncertain as two very different prospective opponents could be New York’s next test. 

Entering Tuesday night’s Game 5, the Carolina Hurricanes have a chance to end the New York Islanders’ season down in Raleigh as they own a comfortable 3-1 series advantage. 

Finishing in second place in the Metropolitan Division just three points behind the Rangers, Carolina will be as difficult an Eastern Conference opponent as Peter Laviolette’s men could face this postseason. They are one of the fastest, most relentless, and aggressive teams in the NHL.

Their Corsi (CF), which measures a team’s shot attempt differential while at even-strength play, led the NHL this season at 59.55%. It has carried over in the playoffs where they’ve suffocated the Islanders at times, most notably in Game 2 when they overturned a 3-0 deficit by out-attempting the Rangers’ rivals 110-28.

Only two other teams in the playoffs have attempted more shots than Carolina while its expected goals for (xGF) of 10.34 ranks third-best, as well. Compare that to the Rangers, whose xGF ranks 16th out of 16 teams at 5.68.

In theory, it’s a nightmare matchup for the Rangers, who won two of three regular-season meetings against Carolina but were outscored 7-4. The 6-foot-8 Rempe would have obvious issues keeping up with the tenacious Hurricanes nor can he singlehandedly be responsible for mucking up the play enough to slow them down. It will take far more than one physical presence to do that. 

Jonny Brodzinski, who is a faster, more versatile option, would be the more logical choice if Filip Chytil is still not ready for the start of the second round.

2024 Stanley Cup odds

• Carolina Hurricanes +425
• Florida Panthers +475
• Edmonton Oilers +500
• Colorado Avalanche +600
• New York Rangers +700
• Dallas Stars +900
• Boston Bruins +900
• Vancouver Canucks +1700
• Vegas Golden Knights +1800
• Winnipeg Jets +7500
• Toronto Maple Leafs +9000
• Nashville Predators +15000
• Los Angeles Kings +15000
• New York Islanders +40000

Odds courtesy of DraftKings. For more, click here.

For more on the New York Rangers, visit AMNY.com

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