Even the pressure of a tied series couldn’t trip up the Carolina Hurricanes at home. The Canes beat the New York Rangers 3-1 at PNC Arena on Thursday, May 26, cementing a much-needed victory ahead of game six in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carolina was strong from top to bottom, showing few holes in its defensive and offensive play across the board. Even stars like center Vincent Trocheck and right-wing Andrei Svechnikov resurfaced to contribute to the goal total, raising the energy in the arena from exciting to electric.
“We played a hard-nosed game,” Trocheck said. “We played smart and avoided them; that’s how we played all season and how we played during the first few games … You just do it. There’s no formula for it.”
A win in game five was crucial for Carolina — given the team’s track record on the road, a loss at home would likely result in elimination. The Hurricanes were looking good across the first 20 minutes of gameplay: fast, furious and physical, Carolina led in shots on goal for the bulk of the game.
The Rangers commenced their first power play of the game after Svechnikov was sent to the penalty box for boarding against New York center Tyler Motte. Alongside goaltender Antti Raanta, Carolina’s defensemen did a stellar job of deflecting the puck back over on New York’s side of the rink time and time again.
In fact, the Hurricanes were able to create an opportunity to score a shorthanded goal with less than 10 seconds left in the Rangers’ power play. Assisted by captain and center Jordan Staal, Trocheck slipped the puck right past New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin to create a lead for Carolina 12:57 into the first period. The goal marked Trocheck’s first of the series.
Unfortunately, the Canes’ lead didn’t last for long. After defenseman Ian Cole gave the Rangers their second power play of the game thanks to a cross checking call, New York center Mika Zibanejad didn’t waste more than ten seconds before putting the puck past Raanta. Once again, it seemed Carolina’s success hinged on whether or not the team could keep their players out of the box.
With the second period underway, the Canes continued to lead in shots on goal despite a tied game. Things heated up about five minutes in thanks to an offsides goal from New York center Ryan Strome — although it was overturned within a few minutes thanks to Carolina’s challenge, morale was understandably low in PNC Arena as the Rangers took their first, yet brief lead over the Hurricanes.
Carolina’s first power play commenced after New York center Frank Vatrano was penalized for hooking against Svechnikov. Much like the Rangers’ first goal of the game, the Hurricanes wasted no time in upping their lead to 2-1 after a power play goal from left-wing Teuvo Teravainen.
Through the end of the second period and into the third period, Carolina continued to play beautifully. Dominating in shots on goal and time spent in the offensive zone, spirits were high in Raleigh despite a close game.
With the knowledge that New York could tie things up any second, the Hurricanes didn’t let their guards down. 13:01 into the third period, Svechnikov finally delivered with a goal to raise Carolina’s lead to 3-1. Although the Russian has been underperforming for the bulk of the playoffs, his five-hole goal against Shesterkin was just what the Canes needed heading into the last seven minutes of gameplay.
“I would say the third period was the dominant one,” Svechnikov said. “I think we played our game and … we just gotta move that game to the next game and take the success from that.”
Shesterkin exited the ice with about two minutes left, hoping to erase New York’s two-goal deficit to pull off a game five victory. That being said, even an extra attacker wasn’t able to trip up the Canes — thanks to the immeasurable skill of Raanta and a strong push from Carolina, the Rangers weren’t able to pull off a last-minutes miracle.
The Hurricanes will face the Rangers once again in game six on Saturday, May 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
