Kaapo Kakko a surprise Rangers scratch with Matt Rempe in Game 2 lineup

NHL

By Mollie Walker

For the second time in three years, Kaapo Kakko was a healthy scratch in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Finnish wing had to watch from the press box for Game 2 against the Panthers Friday night at Madison Square Garden, mirroring the time ex-head coach Gerard Gallant benched him in Game 6 of the 2022 conference final in Tampa Bay.

“I think you always look at your lineup and you evaluate it,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of potential lineup changes Friday morning. “I don’t necessarily know if it’s [overreacting versus looking for a spark regarding lineup changes]. I was pretty honest, I think we’re capable of playing better. I think we did good things. I think the scoring chances we generated, although they weren’t an enormous amount of them because that’s just not what happens when you play Florida. I do think that we got six or seven really good looks.

“Inside of that, we need to make some of those looks pay off. … So there’s things I think you can just look at the lineup itself and not necessarily about if there’s a move or not a move, but look at the lineup itself and get better with that game, with that plan, with that group.

“And if you make a move, you make a move. But I think we got to look at the bigger picture and look at getting better on the ice.”

As a result, Matt Rempe drew back into the lineup for the first time since Game 5 of the second-round series against the Hurricanes.

The 6-foot-8 ½ forward returned to his usual post on the fourth line next to Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.

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Laviolette opted to rearrange some of the other lines, as well.

Bumping Jack Roslovic down to the right wing of the third unit next to Alex Wennberg and Will Cuylle, Filip Chytil was promoted to the right wing of the top line alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

The second line of Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere remained intact.

Entering Game 2 Friday night, the Rangers had 33 comeback wins, their most in a single regular season and playoffs combined.

They are just the second team in the last three decades to record 33 or more comeback wins in the regular season and playoffs combined, joining the 2005-06 Hurricanes.

Goalie Igor Shesterkin is the third netminder in franchise history to post eight or more wins in multiple postseasons, joining Henrik Lundqvist, who did it three times, and Mike Richter, who did it twice.