The New York Rangers snapped the Carolina Hurricanes’ 11-game win streak with a 5-3 victory in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Questionable play-calling and sloppy offense on the Canes’ behalf ended a record-breaking run, denying head coach Rod Brind’Amour his 200th win.
“Tough game,” Brind’Amour said. “I like how we started. There were just some kinda weird things that went on, and we never really got going.”
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov returned to the crease for the first time since Dec. 20, following fellow netminder Antti Raanta’s impressive five-win run. Kochetkov, days after being named NHL’s Rookie of the Month, boasted a 10-1-4 record heading into Tuesday evening’s game.
Carolina drew the first goal at MSG thanks to a tip-in from defenseman Brent Burns. Although difficult to attribute to any one particular player, a team effort brought Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin just outside the crease, allowing Burns — or maybe center Paul Stastny — to score Carolina’s go-ahead goal early in the first period.
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill is one of the team’s strong suits, but no NHL team is always immune to a well-played slapshot. Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba nailed the puck past Kochetkov on the man advantage, tying the game at one point apiece.
Sixteen seconds after Trouba’s slapshot, however, Carolina responded in kind to keep the Rangers on their toes. Center Martin Necas scored his 17th goal of the season — a season record for the 23-year-old, in fewer than half as many games — to put the Hurricanes in the lead once again.
By the end of the second frame, both teams tacked on another goal apiece. Both were scored in an incredibly similar fashion to the previous two — Rangers center Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal, a neat biscuit right between Kochetkov’s legs, on the power play, then defenseman Jalen Chatfield answered with the go-ahead goal 29 seconds later.
The Hurricanes’ penalty kill, ranked eighth in the NHL prior to Tuesday’s match, struggled in MSG. After New York scored two goals on the man advantage, it was clear heading into the third period that the game would likely be decided by Carolina’s ability to keep a punchy offense at bay.
Ultimately, the Hurricanes weren’t able to extend their win streak to 12. A pair of goals scored by New York within the first half of the third frame gave the Rangers all the comfort room they needed to cruise to victory. To add insult to injury, New York center Filip Chytil scored on an empty net less than a minute after Carolina pulled Kochetkov.
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes’ 11-win run and 17-game point streak were nothing short of incredible. Ever since an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Coyotes in late November, Carolina has played with grit and determination game after game, sometimes without key players. That being said, the Canes were surely outplayed in New York and look to reshuffle offensively ahead of the next few weeks.
The Hurricanes will return to Raleigh on Jan. 5 to play the Nashville Predators. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
