As has been the case for the entirety of this year’s postseason run so far, the Carolina Hurricanes were dominated on the road in their game six matchup against the Rangers. The 5-2 loss forces a game seven back in Raleigh, putting Carolina in yet another do-or-die scenario.
Despite a slim chance that playoff performance outside of PNC Arena could turn around in a game that could’ve sent the Canes into round three, things remained largely the same. Carolina went down early, and could never manage to climb their way back into a game that New York had complete control over from start to finish.
The first nail in the Canes’ coffin for game six came courtesy of a deflected wrist shot from the Rangers’ Tyler Motte. With goaltender Antti Raanta screened by the defender in front of him, Motte found an opening to get the puck under Raanta’s left arm to secure an early lead for a Rangers team that would see plenty more of the back of the net before the end of the night.
The second of New York’s five on the evening served as the Rangers’ first power play goal of the night. A high sticking call on defenseman Brendan Smith earned him a minor that would send him to the box for two minutes. The game’s first penalty proved costly, allowing the Rangers to double their lead before the end of the first period on a shot by Mika Zibanejad, assisted by both Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin.
The Canes tried to pull the first one back near the end of the period, but stout defense from the Rangers and the continued sensational play from one of hockey’s best goalies in Shesterkin forced Carolina to look for answers in the second.
That second period saw some of the few bright spots for the Canes in their dismal night, but nothing would go right for Carolina before the Rangers’ third goal of the game. Scored by Filip Chytil, the goal extended New York’s lead and forced a goalie change. Despite Raanta’s strong performances as of late, the stalwart had already let in three goals, encouraging the Canes to go with goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov to finish the game.
“I’m sure he’d like to have those back,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “This time of year, it’s tough. You got to make those saves, but it’s fine. Now we turn the page. The good news is, we don’t have to end on that. We got another shot here.”
The Hurricanes tried to claw themselves back into it after the goalie change, starting with defenseman Brady Skjei’s goal five minutes into the second period, which was also his first in the playoffs for Carolina. Assisted by centers Sebastion Aho and Seth Jarvis, the Canes seemed to be making strides in the right direction with the impressive teamwork and offensive ability displayed on the goal.
Moments later however, the Rangers struck once again, specifically Chytil. The second goal from the center continued the defensive woes for Carolina as New York widened the lead to 4-1.
The Canes’ only other goal came late in the second in response to the three-goal deficit. Center Vincent Trochek squeezed the puck through the legs of Shesterkin on assists by center Martin Necas and Skjei, with the goal temporarily keeping the Canes in the game at 4-2.
Once again, however, New York was able to match Carolina’s goal, denying any effort by the Canes to truly get back into the game. The final goal of the night was scored by Artemi Panarin, who capitalized on New York’s five on three advantage, caused by penalties on defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Ian Cole. The two-man advantage inevitably yielded the game’s final score and nail in the coffin, increasing the Ranger lead to 5-2, one that was ultimately impossible to overcome for Carolina.
Struggles on both offense and defense plagued the Hurricanes all night long. Despite outshooting New York 39-25, the Canes couldn’t capitalize on their scoring chances while the Rangers took far better advantage of their opportunities, building an early lead that kept Carolina playing catch up all night long.
“If you’re gonna go down in a game, these are the easy ones to just let go,” Brind’Amour said. “Once we got behind, we never really got going again. There’s a lot of guys who didn’t play very well. It’s a lot easier to shake off a game like that than a game where you’re right in it and something bad happens.”
While the Hurricanes have clearly struggled away from home ice, the deciding game seven will be played in Raleigh on Monday, May 30 at 8 p.m. Hoping to continue their perfect streak at PNC Arena in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Canes have put themselves in a win or stay home situation that is all but sure to produce a must-see matchup.
