Former NHLer: Panthers-Rangers series will be 'heated, emotional'

The former Norris Trophy winner went on to explain what makes the matchup so intense compared to other conference finals that have come before it.

"[The Rangers] are coming off of two really emotional series," Subban said. "As much as they basically handled the Washington Capitals, that was still an emotional series for them. And they've been clicking, firing on all cylinders since the drop of the puck in the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But now, when you think about Carolina, they went through some adversity."

He isn't wrong. The Rangers took a 3-0 series lead against the Hurricanes only for Rod Brind'Amour's team to win back-to-back games and stave off elimination. New York had to rally for four goals in the third period of Game 6 to fend off Carolina and punch its ticket to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Rangers will have to fight off that emotional toll in the next round against a Panthers team that just bashed its way through its own heated second-round series against the Boston Bruins.

"Florida takes a rink that might feel like an Olympic-size rink the Rangers have been playing on for two rounds, and they're going to shrink it down to a backyard rink," Subban continued. "That makes it very, very difficult to play in a Stanley Cup playoffs when you know that you're going to get hit every second."

The Panthers took two out of three regular-season games against the Rangers this year, and special teams played a big factor in the latter two matchups of the season at Madison Square Garden. 

In the playoffs, the Rangers' power play is clicking at 31.4%, while the Panthers rank second among playoff teams with 171 penalty minutes. This would suggest that New York can beat the competition with special teams, but it has to be ready for the physical will Florida will impose.

"Everything's going to be a battle," Subban said. "It's elbow-to-elbow, hand-to-hand combat in the corners, in front of the net. That's exactly what Florida is going to try to do. 

"They are going to make this a tough, grueling series for the New York Rangers, and the Rangers have got to be ready for that."