The first round against the Capitals could have been a play-in round compared to the pace and intensity the Hurricanes brought to the second round, but the Rangers were undaunted.
No, the Blueshirts welcomed Game 1 with a tense 4-3 win over Carolina at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, with the home team closing out the game with two strong periods. and prepared for increased competition.
The Rangers didn’t take a break, with their goalie, top six skaters and special teams picking up where they left off in the first round.
Mika Zibanejad led the club with two goals, one on the power play and one at even strength, and Artemi Panarin scored the decisive goal in the third period for the game-winner.
The Rangers led 3-1 at the start of the final frame thanks to three early goals and a scoreless second.
However, as expected in this evenly matched series, the Hurricanes remained tight on them.
With 20 games left in regulation and less than three minutes into the game, Martin Necas received a lead-in pass and beat goaltender Igor Shesterkin one-on-one, making it a one-point game.
But Panarin, looking to put his playoff absence behind him, sped up and took a shot to the side that sailed past Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen to restore a two-point lead.
It was a tough battle from there to the finish line, with the Rangers scoring 6-on-5 from Seth Jarvis with 1:45 left in regulation.
The equalizer never came.
Jack Roslovic, acquired by the Rangers at the trade deadline this season, has improved significantly since the postseason began.
After tying Alexis Lafreniere for third on the team in scoring with two goals and two assists in Game 1, Roslovic aggressively ran around the Hurricanes’ net in Game 2, dishing to forward Zibanejad to make it 1-0. He led the way and became the starting lineup for the Rangers. .
But just a minute later, the Canes’ Jacob Slavin took a long shot that bounced past Shesterkin.
This was a clear indication that nothing was going to be easily accomplished in this series.
The Hurricanes slammed the puck into the post twice, but former Ranger Tony DeAngelo, reminded of what the MSG faithful thought of him by the boos in the crowd, trucked Will Quill away. It brought the Blueshirts to their first power play.
What happened next was nothing short of one of the most extravagant man-advantage sequences the NHL has seen this season, perhaps the past 10 seasons.
It was really just a continuation of what the Rangers’ special teams have been doing throughout the regular season and postseason.
The intent with which the Rangers manipulated the puck in their zone was unstoppable, facilitated by the skilled hands that created the puck as each skater touched the puck before Zibanejad buried it for a 2-1 lead. Ta.
Special teams will always play a key role in the series considering the fact that both teams finished in the top three in both categories.
The Rangers were resourceful from the start, going 2-for-2 on the power play and fending off all five of the Hurricanes’ power plays, including a very brief 6-on-4 deficit in the final 40.5 seconds of the game.
Vincent Trocheck, who has swapped jerseys since the last time the clubs met in the 2022 playoffs, cleaned up the rebound on the Rangers’ second man-advantage chance to make the game 3-1.
