With its 4-0 win over the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden, the Carolina Hurricanes became the fourth team in NHL history to have four goalies record a shutout in a single season. The last team to do it was the 2002-2003 St. Louis Blues.
“I’m not sure that’s a good stat,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Oh boy, I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to be on that list. That’s a lot of stress on everybody. But it does say a little bit about the group, I think. We can figure it out. It’s nice to have the top guys back, though.”
While goaltender Frederik Andersen got his first shutout of the season, the new faces got a pair of firsts as well. Left wing Taylor Hall and right wing Mikko Rantanen each earned their first point as a Cane on a right wing Andrei Svechnikov goal.
Taking control of a loose puck, Hall carried it into the offensive zone, slowed down at the faceoff dot, and fired a pass to the trailing Svechnikov. Carrying the puck into the slot, Svechnikov ripped a wrister past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin 56 seconds into the game.
Svechnikov scored his second late in the second period to double the Canes’ lead. Rantanen started the offensive rush after defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere axed a Rangers transition chance just seconds before. Connecting with right wing Jackson Blake, Rantanen made a slick pass to find Svechnikov in the slot.
“They’re great players and those goals I was trying to be patient because I knew they were going to find me,” Svechnikov said.
Hall and Rantanen weren’t the only ones to earn their first points with a new team against the Rangers. This past Sunday, former Hurricane centers Martin Necas and Jack Drury also earned their first point with their new team — the Colorado Avalanche — against the Rangers in one of the strangest NHL coincidences in recent history.
It took less than three minutes into the third period for the Hurricanes to double their lead again. Just over a minute in, center Sebastian Aho quickly fired a shot on goal that had bounced around the zone and center Seth Jarvis posted up in the slot and fired in a pass from left wing Jordan Martinook.
A four-goal lead was already going to be hard to come back against for the Rangers, but the Hurricanes made it impossible in the final period, only giving up three shots on goal.
“We didn’t let them get a sniff on coming back in this game,” Andersen said.
Another notable storyline was when it was announced that defenseman Riley Stillman would draw into the Hurricanes lineup for the first time this season. Signed in the summer, Stillman has been recalled from and sent down to the Chicago Wolves numerous times to serve as an extra in case a Cane couldn’t play. With center Jack Roslovic out with an illness, Stillman got his shot.
Wearing the number his dad — Corey Stillman — wore with the Canes nearly 17 years ago, Stillman set the tone early in his first appearance. Dropping the gloves six minutes in with Rangers center Sam Carrick, Stillman got the team going early with his physical presence.
The Hurricanes will look to extend their point streak to seven games when they return to Raleigh to take on the Chicago Blackhawks. Hall and Rantanen will make their home debuts with the Canes, starting at 7 p.m.
