Skjei’s power-play goal forces Game 5: Hurricanes edge Rangers to stay alive

Posted on May 12, 2024 by Derek

They had battled back from a two-goal deficit. Alexis Lafreniere banked in the tying goal early in the third period.

But with a chance to end this second round series, the Rangers weren’t good enough. They only totaled five shots against a shaky Frederik Andersen. Instead, it was the more desperate Hurricanes who got a Brady Skjei power-play goal with 3:11 left in regulation to pull out a 4-3 win in Game 4 at PNC Arena.

The Hurricanes then locked it down to stay  alive. There’ll be a Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. They only allowed one shot down the stretch to make life easier on Andersen. He needed it after allowing a bad goal to Lafreniere over two minutes in that quieted the Caniacs.

There was a nervous energy in the building. Instead of applying pressure, the Rangers backed off too much. They were unable to establish any consistency. Much of that was due to a disappointing game from Artemi Panarin. He wasn’t alone. Neither he nor Vincent Trocheck had much of an impact. Aside from a tough hit, Chris Kreider wasn’t noticeable. Mika Zibanejad was okay.

When their best players aren’t their best, the Rangers will struggle to win games. Panarin was caught on for all three Hurricanes’ goals in a bad first period that saw the Rangers fall behind 3-1. He didn’t have it. He was held to one shot.

One of the biggest differences was the Canes staying out of the penalty box. They only put the Rangers on one power play. There were just three in the whole game. It was an aggressive Carolina forecheck that forced Ryan Lindgren into a turnover and bad penalty with 3:43 left in regulation.

Lindgren struggled mightily. The Canes pressured him every chance they got. He finally took down Jordan Martinook to put the Rangers shorthanded. Unlike most of the series, the penalty kill was unable to get it done.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour adjusted both his units. He went with more left-handed shots on one. It paid dividends in crunch time. Andrei Svechnikov retrieved a loose puck and got it over to Teuvo Teravainen. He then set up Skjei for a one-timer that beat Igor Shesterkin with Seth Jarvis parked in front.

A poor start cost the Rangers. Before the game was two minutes old, they fell behind. Barclay Goodrow had trouble handling a tough pass from Erik Gustafsson. He then turned the puck over  to Evgeny Kuznetsov, who used Jacob Trouba as a screen to sneak a wrist shot past Shesterkin high blocker at 1:51.

Before they found their footing, the Rangers went down by two. The Hurricanes’ second line put together a good shift against the Trocheck line. Following a couple of misses, Teuvo Teravainen took a Tony DeAngelo pass down low and shot low on Shesterkin for a rebound that came right to Stefan Noesen. His backhand made it 2-0 with 13:27 left in the first period.

Noesen came off the bench and beat Trocheck to the rebound. Both Panarin and Trouba failed to get the puck out. First, Panarin turned it over at the blue line. Then, Trouba’s pass up the middle was intercepted by Teravainen. DeAngelo sent the puck in deep for a Teravainen turnaround shot that Shesterkin mishandled. That allowed Noesen to make it a two-goal game.

Following his goal, Shesterkin made two stops on Jake Guentzel. That seemed to settle down his team. They built some momentum on a good shift from the  Zibanejad line. Andersen made a couple of saves to keep them off the scoreboard.

After a hit from Erik Gustafsson on DeAngelo, he moved the puck up to Kaapo Kakko. He then made a great lead pass to send Will Cuylle in on a breakaway. Cuylle beat Andersen by going high glove for his first career postseason goal. That cut the deficit to one with under 12 minutes left.

Suddenly, with the momentum, the Rangers came close to tying it. Lafreniere missed wide on a backhand attempt. A bit later, Kreider went wide in the slot. The best opportunity came when the third line had the Hurricanes pinned in. However, Cuylle sent a shot from the middle high and over the top. The Canes survived.

Carolina re-took a two-goal lead thanks to Sebastian Aho. On a Brent Burns dump in behind the Rangers’ net, Guentzel found an open Aho in front for an easy one-timer that made it 3-1 with 4:31 remaining.

On the goal, Panarin let Aho go. Trouba chased Guentzel, which allowed him to make the pass in front. Trocheck was also in the vicinity. There were too many breakdowns. At that point, Panarin and Trouba were both minus-3. Trocheck and Lafreniere were minus-2.

Trailing by two, it was the play of the third line that continued to generate offense. Kakko was stopped by Andersen on a chance. The line centered by Alex Wennberg had a strong game. Reunited due to Jonny Brodzinski being inserted into the lineup for an ill Filip Chytil, they were superb on the forecheck, and made things happen.

With two and a half minutes left, Aho took Zibanejad down to send the Rangers on the power play. Unlike the previous three games in the series, they couldn’t do anything. The Canes were more aggressive on the penalty kill.

In the second period, Carolina made a push early. Following a couple of Shesterkin stops on Guentzel, Lafreniere came very close to scoring. His shot hit the goalpost. The Rangers had that happen again later.

With the Canes still leading by two, Zibanejad went off for holding the stick of Svechnikov. Their top penalty killing forward was lost for two minutes. Fortunately, the rest of the penalty killers picked him up. That included Wennberg and Jimmy Vesey, who came on after Trocheck and Goodrow.

The best chance was created by the Rangers. Lindgren found himself open on a back pass. His high shot was stopped by a sprawling Andersen.

With the power play set to expire, Noesen came close on a wrap-around. It hit the outside of the goalpost. Shesterkin then stopped Kuznetsov.

Back at even strength, Lafreniere continued to get chances. Following one Andersen save, he sent another shot wide. He was the most dangerous Ranger in the game. In fact, Lafreniere has been the best forward in the series.

With the offense struggling, Peter Laviolette flipped Lafreniere and Jack Roslovic. He even tried Panarin and Lafreniere with Zibanejad. It almost worked.

A little later, a heads-up stretch pass from Shesterkin up to Kakko almost led to a goal. After receiving the pass at the Canes’ blue line with Carolina caught in a line change, Kakko passed across for a Wennberg shot that hit the right goalpost.

Even though they were ahead by two, the Hurricanes were guilty of some sloppy turnovers. For the game, they had 22 giveaways. The Rangers didn’t make them pay for it.

With under eight minutes remaining, the fourth line delivered a big goal. Andersen gave up a rebound on a Vesey shot. Instead of covering it up, he let DeAngelo throw the puck away around the boards. Vesey intercepted it and fed Braden Schneider for a wrist shot at the point that Goodrow tipped in with 7:17 left to make it 3-2.

The Hurricanes tried to go back ahead by two. But Shesterkin made key saves on Svechnikov. Jaccob Slavin missed wide on a rebound.

On the opposite end, Lafreniere sent a dangerous shot over the net. He was very good the entire night.

With only 14 seconds left in the period, Shesterkin stopped Guentzel. What followed was interesting. Lafreniere exchanged words with Aho. He had a hold of him as the refs interjected. Trocheck and Burns exchanged blows. Both earned two minutes for roughing. The four-on-four carried over to the third period.

Following a tentative start, Lafreniere finally got rewarded for his hard work. After taking a Trouba feed, Zibanejad sent a pass across for Lafreniere. As he was going behind the net, he noticed that Andersen was off his goalpost. Lafreniere wisely banked the puck off Andersen and in to tie the score.

Lafreniere now has four goals in the9j series. He’s been on fire. Over the last five games dating back to Game 4 against the Capitals, he has a five-game point streak (4-3-7). Six of those seven points have come against the Hurricanes. They’ve had no answer for him. Lafreniere is up to 10 points (4-6-10) in the postseason.

If there was a disappointing part of the comeback, the Rangers took their foot off the accelerator. They backed off. It was the Canes who played with more urgency. They were facing elimination. They knew that the next goal probably meant their season. They played like it.

Carolina didn’t have a lot of good chances. But they controlled play at five-on-five. The Rangers spent too much time defending instead of attacking. They can’t do that again if they’re in a similar position on Monday.

Shesterkin made a save on a Dmitry Orlov backhand. He also stopped Martin Necas from distance. It was more cautiously played. Maybe that worked in the Canes’ favorite. They also backed up when they led by two.

For the period, the shots were 8-5 Hurricanes. There wasn’t enough attack time from the Rangers. It was almost like they played for overtime. It never got there.

Every time Lindgren was out for a defensive shift, he was pressured. He had issues handling the Canes’ forecheck. When he backed himself into a corner and lost the puck, it was troublesome. The Rangers escaped.

However, Lindgren later lost a battle to Martinook. He took down Martinook with 3:43 remaining. This time, the Hurricanes found the winning formula on the power play.

After taking a pass from Svechnikov, Teravainen and Skjei played catch. Then,  Teravainen laid a perfect pass for Skjei to blast past Shesterkin for the game-winner.

Trailing by one late, the Rangers could only muster a long Panarin shot that Andersen easily handled. With Shesterkin on the bench for an extra attacker, they never got anything through. The Canes got in the lanes and blocked shots to earn the victory.

Now, it’s onto Game 5.

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Chytil misses practice, game-time decision for Game 4

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Derek

Following a thrilling Rangers’ 3-2 win in overtime over the Hurricanes, Filip Chytil expressed excitement over finally returning to the lineup.

It had been six months since the 24-year-old center had played in a game. He suffered a concussion on Nov. 2 against the Hurricanes when he collided with Jesper Fast. In January, with him back skating at the Rangers practice facility, he had a setback due to falling on the ice.

At the time, it looked like his season was over. But Chytil started to feel better in April. He got cleared to practice without a no contact jersey. As he drew nearer to a comeback, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette handled him with caution. He didn’t play in the team’s first round sweep of the Capitals.

Facing a better opponent in the second round, the Rangers stuck with the same lineup for the first two games. They won each, including Game 2 on Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal in double overtime.

After Laviolette decided not to play Matt Rempe in the third period or overtime, he made the move to bring Chytil back for Game 3 on Thursday night.

Following a tentative start, Chytil grew more comfortable as the game went on. He nearly had a goal that could’ve finished off the Hurricanes in regulation. He made a great move to get in on Pyotr Kochetkov, whose poke check denied his bid to make it 3-1.

The Canes would force overtime on an Andrei Svechnikov goal with 1:36 left in regulation.

But in sudden death, an Alexis Lafreniere dump in behind the Carolina net led to Trocheck coming out and feeding Panarin for a between the legs deflection past Kochetkov for the overtime winner at 61:43.

That gave the Rangers a commanding three games to none series lead. Chytil was very happy to return.

He took 17 shifts and recorded one shot in 12:02 of ice time. The way he sounded, it felt like the beginning of something special. Chytil wants to be a part of it.

The Rangers are a very close-knit group with great chemistry. Seeing Blake Wheeler celebrate Panarin’s goal by the glass was great. There’s a lot of excitement.

A win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers might look different later. After feeling great, Chytil woke up and didn’t feel well.

Chytil went to the team meal. He missed the morning skate. Laviolette indicated that Chytil is a game-time decision. Hopefully, that means his illness isn’t related to a concussion.

Jonny Brodzinski skated on the fourth line. Will Cuylle was back on the third line. There’s a good chance Brodzinski plays tonight.

There’s no reason for Chytil to play. The Rangers are in the driver’s seat. They can wrap up the second round by sweeping a very good team. Expect the Hurricanes to be desperate. They’ve been in every game.

Igor Shesterkin has been the difference. He’s making the clutch saves. Along with a dominant special teams, that’s why the Rangers are a win away from the Conference Finals.

We’ll see if they have the killer instinct.

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Panarin Is The Overtime Hero! Rangers stun Hurricanes 3-2 to take Game 3

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Derek

It happened again. For the second straight game, the Rangers needed overtime to beat the Hurricanes. After allowing Andrei Svechnikov to tie the game with 1:36 left in regulation, there was no panic.

Instead, Artemi Panarin won the game when he redirected a pass from Vincent Trocheck past a stunned Pyotr Kochetkov at 61:43 of overtime for a 3-2 win to take Game 3. His fourth game-winning goal of the postseason moved the Rangers within a win of the Eastern Conference Finals.

They lead the best of seven series three games to none. All three victories have been decided by one goal. Combined with a 4-3 win over the Capitals back in the first round, the Rangers are a perfect 4-0 in one goal games this playoffs. They’re also 7-0. That was last achieved by a Rangers team that lifted the Stanley Cup 30 years ago.

The most impressive thing is how they respond to adversity. Despite trailing by a goal in the last two games, there’s no panic. Unlike Game 2, when they needed a Chris Kreider power-play goal to force sudden death before Vincent Trocheck’s clutch double overtime goal, this time they blew a one-goal lead late in the third period.

In full desperation mode, the Hurricanes pulled Kochetkov for a six-on-five. Trailing by a goal, they created enough chaos to get the game tied. A Brady Skjei point shot was deflected by Sebastian Aho off Igor Shesterkin for a rebound in the slot. Svechnikov picked it up and fired home his first of the series to send the Caniacs into bedlam.

As the Canes celebrated Svechnikov’s big goal, the Rangers bench delayed before the next faceoff. Coach Peter Laviolette thought the puck might’ve been tipped by a high stick. Aho also had a broken stick after his deflection that led to Svechnikov forcing overtime. It didn’t look like it was for that long. He held it in his hands rather than getting rid of it.

At the start of the game, it went as expected. There was a storm surge. The Canes came out fast. Aided by a bench minor two minutes in, they fired shots at Shesterkin, whose best save early came on Svechnikov. He was a factor throughout.

With the teams back at full strength, Alex Wennberg tripped Svechnikov, who went down. Maybe it was because of how it looked. He went for the puck and fell over. They decided that Svechnikov had a penalty for embellishment. It was a bad call. That led to four-on-four.

The Canes weren’t only outshooting the Rangers early on. They were more physical. Especially Svechnikov. He had some good hits that got the crowd into it. He finished checks on both Erik Gustafsson and Jacob Trouba. On the same shift, he pressured Gustafsson into a mistake. Svechnikov then retrieved the puck and set up a Skjei shot that Jake Guentzel tipped in at 9:46 for a 1-0 lead.

It also marked the return of Filip Chytil. Playing for the first time since Nov. 2 against the same opponent, he was a little tentative in the early going. That was expected. He absorbed hits from Tony DeAngelo and Dmitry Orlov. Chytil got better as the game went on.

For the first half of the period, the Rangers hadn’t established much. They were getting badly outplayed. The Canes led by a wide margin in shots and hits. Something needed to change. Barclay Goodrow decided to give his team a wake-up call.

Following a Kochetkov stop on Will Cuylle, Goodrow made sure to get close to the Hurricanes goalie. That drew a reaction. Orlov knocked down Goodrow. Then, Jimmy Vesey got into it with Orlov during a scrum. They each received roughing minors. Goodrow and Jesperi Kotkaniemi got unsportsmanlike conducts. There was no loss of manpower.

That sequence seemed to settle the Rangers down. They picked up their game. On a good cycle by the Canes, Guentzel high-sticked K’Andre Miller to halt their momentum.

On the power play, the top unit moved the puck well enough. But the execution was a little off. That led to some missed shots off good setups. It was a frustrating two minutes that concluded with the second unit unable to do much. For some reason, Trouba played with Gustafsson. Chytil wasn’t used. It didn’t make sense.

Late in the period, Evgeny Kuznetsov rang the crossbar. It was that close to being two goals down for the Blueshirts. Instead, they got out of the first, only down one. The Canes outshot them 17-7. They couldn’t get any separation due to Shesterkin.

Over a minute into the second period, Wennberg was taken down by Jordan Martinook. That gave the Rangers a power play. Unable to get anything going, they had it cut short due to Panarin taking a hooking minor on Jaccob Slavin.

After a brief four-on-four, Goodrow tested Kochetkov shorthanded. Then, Seth Jarvis and Svechnikov each were stopped by Shesterkin. Neither came with any traffic. Something Henrik Lundqvist noted during the first intermission on TNT. If he sees the shots, Shesterkin’s stopping it.

Following the Hurricanes power play, Trocheck skated into Skjei behind the net and went down. Interference was called on Skjei. Once again, the Rangers didn’t get the chances needed to break through. Carolina was better on the penalty kill. They killed off all four Rangers power plays in the game.

Back at even strength, the new third line spent enough time in the offensive zone to create an opportunity for Braden Schneider. He made a good read to get open for a shot that Kochetkov handled. In his first start of the series, he played well, making 22 saves. That included a couple of critical poke checks to deny a pair of dangerous chances.

With Carolina still up by a goal, Adam Fox was called for a soft tripping minor on Guentzel, who sold it. There were a few tacky calls in the game. Paul Bissonnette complained about it following the second period.

On the first part of the power play, the Canes had a few shots. But none seriously threatened Shesterkin, who continued to turn away Aho and Svechnikov.

A Kreider hit sent Aho down inside the Rangers blue line. Then, Brent Burns turned over the puck to Mika Zibanejad. He turned it into a two-on-one rush. With the Canes scrambling back, they paid closer attention to Zibanejad. That allowed him to slide the puck over for a neat Kreider tip-in for a shorthanded goal that tied the game with 11:30 left.

It was an outstanding play by Zibanejad. He has been brilliant in this series. It isn’t only about goals and assists. But also about his defense. He’s been very good on the backcheck, breaking up plays defensively. It’s that attention to detail that helps the Rangers be successful. Exactly what they’ve needed from Zibanejad.

Kreider’s second shorthanded goal of the playoffs really took the steam out of the Hurricanes’ power play. They lost their confidence. On the same five-on-four, a turnover at center ice allowed Trocheck a clean breakaway. But as he made his move on Kochetkov, he lost control of the puck. Kochetkov easily turned it away.

On a shift at five-on-five, Jack Roslovic was sent off for a hook on Martinook. It was another soft call. During the game, the Canes were getting away with holding and taking guys down. That they don’t call.

Svechnikov was their most dangerous player. He was set up in the slot for a one-timer that went wide. He then had another long shot stopped by Shesterkin.

Again, some sloppy play from the Canes led to Zibanejad and Kreider coming in the opposite direction. They nearly hooked up for another shorthanded goal. But Kreider hit the crossbar on a Zibanejad pass.

When he returned, Roslovic got a shot right on Kochetkov. He also had another go wide.

On a Kuznetsov faceoff win, Tony DeAngelo was stopped by Shesterkin from long distance. He continued to make the saves. In the second, he stopped all 20 shots. Despite that, none were high quality. The Canes led in shots 37-18 after two periods but were tied.

The third period was less wide open. Shots were hard to come by. With it more defensive minded, that worked in the Rangers’ favor.

Following a Trocheck faceoff win in the neutral zone, he took the hit to make a play. That allowed Panarin to gain the Canes’ zone and make a perfect backhand feed across for a Lafreniere one-timer past Kochetkov to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 13:35 remaining.

The goal was Lafreniere’s third of the series. He’s really been a consistent force against the Canes.

Trailing for the first time, the Canes tried to come back right away. But Shesterkin made a save on Jarvis.

Trouba had a hit on DeAngelo, which he didn’t like. He responded with a slash that sent him to the box. Rather than make him pay, the Rangers didn’t. They fired blanks.

Guentzel got good position on Schneider that forced him to knock him down in front. He went off for cross-checking. The Rangers gave the Canes nothing, easily killing the penalty off.

On a great individual effort, Chytil got around the Carolina defense for a great chance. But an aggressive Kochetkov came out to stop him with a poke check. That prevented a goal.

Over the next few minutes, the Canes were having trouble generating anything. The Rangers defended well by clogging up the neutral zone and keeping their opponent outside. Kuznetsov got the only good chance when his high shot went off Shesterkin’s mask.

It really looked like the Rangers would wrap it up. But with Kochetkov on the bench for an extra attacker, Aho deflected Skjei’s shot off Shesterkin. The puck took a weird bounce coming right to Svechnikov, who didn’t miss. His clutch goal sent the game to overtime.

In it, the Rangers ended the game quickly. Following a wide shot, Lafreniere got the puck back and waited for his line to come on. He got the puck to Trocheck in the corner. He then came out and made a touch pass in front that Panarin redirected between his legs past a shocked Kochetkov for the clutch overtime winner at 1:41 of overtime.

That led to another celebration by the glass. They’re now one win away from reaching the Conference Finals for the second time in three years. They’ll look to end the suspense tomorrow night.

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Chytil returns to the Rangers lineup for Game 3

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Derek

For the first time since Nov. 2, Filip Chytil will play a game for the Rangers. It’s not just any game. He was activated off LTIR before Game 3 tonight against the Hurricanes.

Chytil has been ready for a while to return. He’s waited for coach Peter Laviolette to reinsert him into the lineup. After taking the first two games of the second round in a tightly contested series, the Rangers decided to make the move.

By doing it, Chytil will play on the third line as a wing. He’ll join Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko. After taking line rushes during warm-ups, it was obvious that he was going to play.

With Laviolette making the surprising change despite there being no indication earlier today, Matt Rempe comes out of the Rangers lineup.

It’ll be Will Cuylle with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey on the fourth line.

We’ll see how it goes.

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Hurricanes turn to Kochetkov for Game 3

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Derek

When the second round continues tonight in Raleigh, the Rangers will see a different goalie in net for the Hurricanes.

After facing Frederik Andersen in the first two games of the best of seven series, they’ll face Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov went 23-13-4 with a 2.33 goals-against-average (GAA), .911 save percentage, and four shutouts in his first full season.

Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour wants to give Andersen a rest. Kochetkov performed well following a players-only meeting last December – winning 19 games and posting a .923 save percentage. It’ll be his first appearance since Apr. 14.

In 2022, he played in two games against the Rangers in the second round. Kochetkov relieved Antti Raanta in a 5-2 loss in Game 6. He made 10 saves on 12 shots. In Game 7, he allowed three goals on 12 shots before Raanta replaced him. The Rangers won 6-2 to take the series.

During the regular season, Kochetkov went 1-1-0 with a 1.02 GAA and .962 save percentage against the Rangers. He stopped 51 of 53 shots.

When told that Kochetkov was starting tonight’s game, Mika Zibanejad indicated that it doesn’t change anything. “We’ll just have to try to keep shooting,” he said.

Evgeny Kuznetsov also returns for the Hurricanes. He was a healthy scratch in Game 2. Max Comtois replaced him. Kuznetsov is obviously a better offensive player than Comtois.

As expected, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will go with the same lineup. He doesn’t make any changes when they’re winning. They’re 6-0 in the playoffs.

That means Matt Rempe remains on the fourth line with Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey. Erik Gustafsson and Jacob Trouba are still the third pair.

It would be wise if Laviolette tried to change on the fly. You can’t have Gustafsson and Trouba caught on against the Hurricanes top line. Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel are coming off a strong Game 2. Aho had three assists, and Guentzel scored twice. Andrei Svechnikov picked up a helper but took two more penalties. They spent a lot of time in the Rangers’ zone.

It’ll be interesting to see how Rempe is handled. He obviously is officiated differently. An effective player, due to his size and strength, he’s proven capable on the forecheck. He must pick his spots when finishing checks during shifts.

The fourth line has been solid thus far in the postseason. They chip pucks in and go to work. Utilizing Rempe in the offensive zone makes sense. Limit him defensively.

In order to be successful, the Rangers must avoid penalties. They can’t keep putting Carolina on the power play. Eventually, they’re going to take advantage. Trouba must maintain his discipline. He was penalized three times in Game 2.

At five-on-five, they will want to forecheck more in the Hurricanes’ zone. It’s up to the top two lines to do a better job. It can’t always come from the bottom six. Make the Canes play defense and test Kochetkov early. Create traffic.

The Hurricanes have had the edge in offensive zone time. They’re a good transition team who can use their speed to pin the Rangers in. They like to create offense off the wall by pinching defensemen. An area they were better at in the second game.

The Rangers should not cede the blue line as much. Don’t back up. Make it harder on Carolina to gain the zone. That would help offset some of their zone time.

Puck management is a key. Don’t throw away pucks in the neutral zone. Make sure to get pucks deep. Make the Canes work harder. They outshot the Rangers 57-39 on Tuesday.

Cover the slot area. There were too many opportunities for the Canes in the slot. Fortunately, Igor Shesterkin was up to the challenge. That trend can’t continue. Taking away what Carolina likes to do would make it tougher for them to create offense.

Control faceoffs. The Canes were pretty successful on draws until overtime. At one point, they led 34-21. By the conclusion of Game 2, the Rangers closed to 50-44. Vincent Trocheck will need to be better. He went 13 and 31. He’s by far the Rangers’ best faceoff guy.

Start quickly. The Hurricanes play in one of the loudest buildings in the league. Their fans will be amped up from the start. If the Rangers can play smart hockey and spend some time in the Canes’ end, they can quiet the Caniacs. An early goal would help the cause.

Expect the Canes to be desperate. They need to win this game to get back in the series. We’ll see how the Rangers handle it.

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Laviolette should consider making a change for Game 3

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Derek

The Rangers were fortunate to take Game 2 against the Hurricanes last night. Despite being outshot 57-39, they came out victorious thanks to hero Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal at 87:24 of the second overtime.

Igor Shesterkin made 54 saves to lead them to the big come from behind win. He stood tall in the third period, stopping all 17 shots. A locked in Shesterkin has been the difference so far. He’s the biggest reason they lead the best of seven series two games to none. The only goals that beat him were two tip-ins and a wide open one-timer.

When the series swings to Raleigh for the next two games, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette will want his team to make some adjustments defensively. Too often, the Hurricanes were pinching a third guy high in the slot to get dangerous chances. Fortunately, Shesterkin was up to the challenge.

There were instances when the Canes were allowed easy entry into the zone due to the Rangers backing in. That’s an area that must improve. They’ll want to clean that up. Stronger play in the neutral zone and at their blue line are keys to limiting the quick Hurricanes’ transition. They can come in with a lot of speed to set up their forecheck. It caused some problems.

A player who Laviolette likes is Erik Gustafsson. Having played for him in Washington, he’s been a staple on the blue line. Part of the third pair with captain Jacob Trouba, Gustafsson’s greatest asset is his skating. He is good offensively and can jump into the play to keep pucks moving. He also quarterbacks the second half of the power play.

While he’s been okay so far in the postseason, Gustafsson struggled in Game 2. He was caught out of position on Jake Guentzel’s go-ahead goal late in the second period. He didn’t take the net front away, which allowed Guentzel to put away a Sebastian Aho feed to give the Canes a 3-2 lead.

Gustafsson got caught in no man’s land. Part of his job as a defenseman is to make sure nobody is open in front. He got lost in coverage. Chris Kreider didn’t help. He was too late on the backcheck.

That wasn’t the only issue. Later in a tie game, Gustafsson threw the puck away into the Carolina zone. Instead of getting it in deep, he passed it right to Brent Burns, who then started a play in transition. Burns nearly had Martin Necas for a goal. It’s a good thing he missed wide.

Gustafsson and Trouba had some adventurous shifts defensively. There was one in overtime when they were caught on against the Canes. Barclay Goodrow helped out to break up a play in front, clearing the zone. That was a key defensive play that got them out of trouble.

Trouba took three penalties, including one in the first overtime. His lack of foot speed has been exposed. He can make up for it with his grit and physicality. However, it’s clear that he’s not at full strength.

He also nearly decapitated Necas in sudden death, launching himself at the Hurricanes forward with his elbow out. It’s a good thing Necas moved out of the way. Trouba landed hard into the boards instead. Had he connected, it would’ve been a major penalty and likely ended the series for Trouba.

If he doesn’t come out of the lineup, it could be due to Adam Fox playing banged up. Gustafsson replaced Fox early on two power plays. That’s something to keep an eye on.

It says here that Zac Jones is a better defenseman than Gustafsson. When Gustafsson missed some time late in the regular season, Jones played well. He was solid defensively and did a good job offensively. A better skater, whose improvement overall has been noticeable, the second-year Blueshirt is a good option for Laviolette to consider.

With the Rangers now 6-0 in the playoffs, don’t expect Laviolette to make the switch for Game 3. However, if they falter, then it could be a possibility. Especially if Gustafsson and Trouba have another tough game.

Another player who’s struggled is Kaapo Kakko. A good puck possession player who’s responsible defensively, the former 2019 second pick looks lost offensively. He hasn’t been able to create much on the third line. Unlike Alex Wennberg and Will Cuylle, who were both visible on Tuesday night.

Kakko definitely looks like his confidence isn’t there. It’s a physical series. He has finished checks. However, he hasn’t been effective. The Rangers need more out of him. He can’t be a non-factor. He plays in the top nine. Laviolette limited him to 11:25 of ice time in Game 2.

Matt Rempe remains a hot topic amongst the hockey world. He only took five shifts for a total of 4:03 yesterday. His energy is something Laviolette prefers. He didn’t do anything wrong during his shifts when he played on the fourth line with Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.

The issue was that the Rangers fell behind. Due to that, Laviolette decided to play 11 forwards. He rotated players with Goodrow and Vesey. Alex Wennberg and Kreider saw some time on the fourth line. So did Cuylle. The coach mixed and matched with his third and fourth lines.

With Rempe not seeing the ice for both the third period and overtime, it left the Rangers a man short. It isn’t as if he can’t bring something to the table. Rempe’s an effective player on the forecheck who hits hard. He knows how to play.

Perhaps Laviolette wasn’t comfortable due to how Rempe is officiated. He didn’t want to risk a penalty. However, both Trouba and Artemi Panarin put the Hurricanes on the power play. They failed to capitalize.

The question is, will Rempe stay in the lineup for tomorrow’s game? Laviolette likes sticking with the same lines when they win. He has Filip Chytil, who sounds ready to return. But is it worth the risk? The Hurricanes are playing very physical. Given Chytil’s history, who knows. The Rangers are up two games. They don’t have to make a change.

Jonny Brodzinski is the other option. He acquitted himself well this season. He’s a better skater than Rempe. If he was inserted, he could play on the fourth line. They had some success when he was with Goodrow and Vesey late in the season. However, after Andrei Svechnikov ran Shesterkin behind the Rangers’ net, there’s a reason to keep Rempe in.

It’ll be interesting to see what Laviolette decides. My guess is that he’ll stick with the same lineup. However, the team will need to be better defensively for Game 3.

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Trocheck Wins it in Double Overtime! Shesterkin makes 54 saves in Rangers’ 4-3 win over Hurricanes

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Derek

For over 87 minutes, nothing separated the Rangers and the Hurricanes on the scoreboard. It took until 7:24 of the fifth period for a hard fought Game 2 to be decided.

Vincent Trocheck’s power-play goal at 87:24 gave the Rangers a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes to put them up two games to none. The second round series shifts to Carolina for the next two starting on Thursday.

They wouldn’t be in this position without the brilliant play of Igor Shesterkin. He was remarkable stopping 54 of 57 shots to earn the game’s first star. It was Shesterkin who made a big difference. He made clutch saves throughout to give the Rangers a chance for another comeback win.

In a game that the Hurricanes dictated the terms with their strong puck possession style, they were unable to earn a split at a loud Madison Square Garden. Aside from being turned away by Shesterkin on several great scoring chances, it was their power play that doomed them. They went 0 for 5.

Conversely, the Blueshirts went 2 for 7. Both the tying and winning goals came on the man-advantage. After failing to take Jake Guentzel with less than two minutes left in the second period on the Canes’ go-ahead goal, Chris Kreider redeemed himself. He steered in a rebound of a Vincent Trocheck shot to tie the game with 13:54 remaining in the third period.

Despite the Canes holding a 17-9 edge in shots, they never could beat Shesterkin in the third. He was a brick wall. Late in regulation with the Rangers on the power play, he stoned Seth Jarvis shorthanded to push the game to overtime.

Even with Carolina applying heavy pressure, they never solved Shesterkin in sudden death. He made the big saves. That included coming out to stop Sebastian Aho on a Canes’ power play. When Andrei Svechnikov swatted at his glove, Shesterkin reacted by chopping his stick. It was a strong message.

The Rangers killed off two penalties in overtime. They first got the job done with captain Jacob Trouba off for the third time in the first overtime. Early in the second OT, it was Artemi Panarin in the box for denying Martin Necas a scoring chance by hooking him. It was a good penalty.

After the tentative Canes were stifled by the disciplined four-man penalty killing unit, it felt like the Rangers had survived. It wasn’t like they didn’t have chances to win it in the first OT. Frederik Andersen made a few big saves, including on Jack Roslovic, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafreniere, who came close to getting his first postseason hat trick.

On a play involving Vincent Trocheck, he tried to skate around Brady Skjei inside the Hurricanes’ blue line and went down. Skjei was called for cross-checking. A night removed from the Knicks benefiting from a botched kick ball in an exhilarating Game 1 win over the Pacers, someone was smiling down on MSG.

When Mark Messier indicated that he didn’t agree with the call following Trocheck’s emotional overtime winner, he had a good point. The replay showed that Skjei shoved Trocheck down. There was contact. But it looked clean. The Rangers took advantage of a gift to pull out the victory.

Trocheck won the game thanks to some good work from Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. After taking a Panarin feed, Zibanejad took a shot from a tough angle that rebounded in front right to Trocheck, who put the puck past Andersen – sending The Garden into a frenzy. Here’s how it looked and sounded.

Despite being outshot 57-39, the Rangers held serve at home. They were outplayed by a more determined Hurricanes. But it didn’t matter. Even with Trocheck having an off night on faceoffs, losing 21 of 34, they found a way to win. Zibanejad was better on draws, going 16 for 25. So too was Alex Wennberg, who went 9 for 16.

For the Canes, Aho had a big game. He assisted on all three goals and went 18 for 30 on faceoffs. However, with a chance to win the game in the first overtime, he was robbed by Shesterkin. Along with Jake Guentzel and Svechnikov, the top line was in the Rangers’ zone often. Guentzel had two goals, and Svechnikov added an assist.

However, Svechnikov also took two bad penalties. That included sticking out his leg and tripping an incensed Shesterkin behind his net, which led to a scrum. Svechnikov also negated a power play for the second straight game. His lack of discipline hurt the Canes.

As often happens in these games, it’s the team that comes out fast that winds up getting scored on. The Canes were the aggressor. Shesterkin kept them off the scoreboard early.

With the Rangers looking a bit sluggish, Will Cuylle took the puck to the net and forced Andersen into a tough save. But he then knocked him over to go off for goalie interference. The Canes were unable to cash in.

Halfway through the opening period, Wennberg made a good play on the forecheck to get the puck to K’Andre Miller. With the Canes in scramble mode, Miller moved the puck to Lafreniere. He saw Wennberg screening Andersen in front. Lafreniere wisely shot and beat Andersen high to the short side for his first of the postseason at 10:53.

Andersen couldn’t see the puck. He was also screened by a diving Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield. That made it an easy decision for Lafreniere to give the Rangers the lead.

A couple of shifts later, on a Carolina dump in behind his net, Shesterkin was sent flying to the ice by Svechnikov. He didn’t exactly avoid him. That caused some chaos. Both Zibanejad and Ryan Lindgren went after him.

Instead of making him pay, the Rangers were unable to capitalize on the power play. That gave the Hurricanes some momentum.

If there was something they did better, it was pinching the third man high to set up some dangerous shots from the slot. Eventually, their aggressiveness paid off. On a good cycle, Svechnikov passed the puck up top for an Aho point shot that Guentzel tipped in for his first of the series to tie it with 4:53 left.

The two sides would each take penalties with less than a minute remaining. Kotkaniemi drew the original call on Barclay Goodrow for cross-checking. But a scrum between Miller and Stefan Noesen led to Noesen getting an even up call for high-sticking. That resulted in four-on-four.

On it, the Canes struck with less than six seconds to go. After receiving an Aho feed, Skjei had his point shot tipped in by Dmitry Orlov to put them ahead. He beat Adam Fox on the goal.

Early in the second, with Trouba off for high-sticking Jack Drury, Svechnikov took an ill-advised interference minor two seconds later by picking off Fox. That led to more four-on-four.

When both teams returned to full strength, the Canes had some good attack time. Shesterkin made a pair of saves on Jordan Staal. He’s been one of the best forwards for Carolina. Staal has been noticeable on the forecheck and is getting chances. He also remains a good two-way center who can win faceoffs. He plays with Seth Jarvis and Teuvo Teravainen.

Following Shesterkin’s stops on Staal, the Canes sat back. After being stopped by the Carolina defense due to trying to do too much, Panarin had a better rush in transition that led to Fox setting up Lafreniere for his second goal to tie the score with 12:28 remaining.

Panarin took a Trocheck back pass and then swung a feed for a pinching Fox. He then found a wide open Lafreniere in front for an easy finish. It was a beautiful passing play that allowed them to draw even.

Trouba took his second bad penalty when he got his stick caught in Kotkaniemi’s skates to take him down at center ice. After a Shesterkin save on a Jarvis backhand, Fox got into it with Guentzel. He gave him a jab. Guentzel responded with a punch that sent Fox down. That cost the Canes the rest of their power play. Guentzel got the only penalty for roughing.

A grinning Trocheck gave Guentzel the thumbs up sign. Between the benches, it got heated between Miller and Tony DeAngelo. Words were exchanged. DeAngelo told Miller he’d fight him anytime. ESPN’s Ray Ferraro chuckled.

DeAngelo never stops yapping. He’s very annoying. But he enjoys playing the villain. The crowd booed him every time he touched the puck. It didn’t distract him.

Later in the period, he was a factor on Guentzel’s second of the game. After a Trouba turnover, the Hurricanes got in on the forecheck. DeAngelo moved the puck down to Aho along the boards. With three Rangers in the area, Aho was able to send a feed in front for Guentzel to bury past Shesterkin to put Carolina ahead 3-2 with 1:42 left.

On the goal, both Erik Gustafsson and Kreider got caught in no man’s land. Gustafsson wasn’t anywhere near Guentzel. Kreider puck watched. It was about as bad a defensive sequence as possible.

Trailing by one, the Rangers came close to tying it early in the third period. Following an Andersen save on Panarin, Lafreniere just missed in front, sending the rebound over the top of the net. His frustration was understandable.

A bit later, a Trouba pinch allowed Cuylle to draw a tripping minor on Orlov. A soft dump in by Panarin led to the Rangers recovering the puck. Trocheck’s shot was stopped by Andersen. But Kreider put in the rebound for his first of the series to tie it with 13:53 left in regulation.

It was his 43rd career postseason goal. That’s the most by a Ranger in franchise history. Eighteen of Kreider’s goals have come on the power play. For some of his shortcomings defensively, all he’s been is a clutch player. He’s scored a lot of big goals. Last night’s was another one that forced overtime.

Following the tying goal, the Canes got back to pressing the attack. Shesterkin made some key stops to keep them off the scoreboard. He swallowed everything up. It didn’t matter how many shots they took.

In between that, the Rangers had another power play. They had a couple of opportunities but couldn’t score. Roslovic was stopped by Andersen before it concluded. He again had a good night. He used his speed to cause the Canes some problems.

With nothing decided late in regulation, Wennberg made a good move to force Skjei to take him down. That gave the Rangers a chance to win it.

Instead, the Hurricanes nearly won it. A Zibanejad turnover led to a Canes’ two on one shorthanded. Jarvis had his shot stopped by a locked in Shesterkin and cleared. Then, ESPN screwed up. In what is still being talked about, someone accidentally switched to the start of the Avalanche and Stars. For 20 seconds, there were no Rangers or Hurricanes. It was chaotic.

When they returned to the game, it was just in time to see Shesterkin stop both Aho and then Chatfield. With nine seconds left, Andersen made a save on Zibanejad.

In the first overtime, the Hurricanes got better chances in the first half. Shesterkin denied Aho twice. The Canes also fired wide on some bids. Especially Svechnikov and Necas. Both have good shots. Sometimes, they can’t hit the net.

As the overtime moved forward, the Rangers started to build momentum. Roslovic got behind the Canes’ defense to test Andersen, who made the big save. Zibanejad got ahead but couldn’t lift the puck.

Trouba took down Necas for his third penalty. The Canes only could muster one shot, which Shesterkin easily handled. For the series, their power play is 0 for 10. The Rangers have taken too many penalties. They can’t continue this trend.

In the second half, they started to win some offensive draws and get set ups. At one point, they won six straight faceoffs. For the game, the Canes went 50 and 44. But the Rangers did a better job in sudden death.

With under two minutes left in the first overtime, Lafreniere thought he had the game won only to be stopped by Andersen. He came so close to being the hero.

Zibanejad had a point blank opportunity denied by Andersen with over a minute to go. The game required a second overtime.

In double overtime, Panarin was stopped by Andersen. Then, the Hurricanes came the other way in transition. Following a Shesterkin save on Jack Drury, Panarin was forced to hook down Necas.

The Canes didn’t do enough on it. Despite moving the puck up and down, they only got one unscreened Aho shot that Shesterkin handled.

Back at even strength, Trocheck tried to make a play inside the Canes’ blue line and went down. Live, it looked like Skjei took him down. The refs called a cross-check on him. That handed the Rangers their seventh power play.

After having a shot blocked, Panarin recovered the puck and got it over for a Zibanejad shot. With Brent Burns a bit out of position, Trocheck was able to put in the rebound for the thrilling overtime winner. It was bedlam at MSG.

Now, the pressure is on the Hurricanes. We’ll see what happens.

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Panarin gets snubbed

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Derek

In the most unsurprising news of the day, the league announced its three finalists for the Hart Trophy. They are Art Ross winner Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid.

Predictably, the national media selected the top three scorers for league MVP. That left Artemi Panarin out of the mix. He got snubbed. Shocking.

Anyone who followed the biased coverage of the award knew Panarin wouldn’t be included. Every time there was a roundtable discussion, he was glossed over. It was as if playing for the team with the best record meant nothing. Auston Matthews was mentioned over him.

When it comes down to it, there seems to be a bias against New York. In 2005-06, Joe Thornton won the Hart over Jaromir Jagr. As great as Thornton was after the trade to the Sharks, Jagr carried the Blueshirts back to the postseason for the first time since 1996-97. He set franchise records for most goals (54), points (123), and power-play goals (24) in a single season.

It didn’t matter. He finished runner-up to Thornton for the Hart. The Rangers were predicted to finish near the bottom of the standings. Jagr backed up his guarantee that they’d make the playoffs with a memorable season. He was the most valuable player.

Eighteen years later, Panarin had a special season for the Blueshirts. He set new career highs in goals (49), points (120), and power-play goals (11) to lead the team to the President’s Trophy. His season is the second best by a Ranger in franchise history.

Nothing against the three candidates. Kucherov led the league with 144 points for the Lightning, recording 100 assists. MacKinnon put together his best season by posting career bests in goals (51), assists (89), and points (140) for the Avalanche. McDavid was third in scoring with 132 points, also hitting 100 assists for the Oilers.

If you look at their teams, they all have stronger supporting casts. Kucherov plays with Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman. MacKinnon has Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Two of the game’s best players. McDavid has Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. It explains why they’re so explosive.

Panarin has Adam Fox. Fox missed 10 games but still wound up over a  point-per-game. He played with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. Both had their best seasons. While they deserve credit for elevating their games, Panarin’s the biggest reason why they’re considered one of the league’s best lines.

He certainly carried the offense and was more committed defensively. If you’re going to define the most valuable player, then Panarin certainly was that for the Rangers. His importance is why they surprised many by finishing first overall to earn home ice for the playoffs.

Unfortunately, the statistics of Kucherov, MacKinnon, and McDavid were hard to ignore for voters. In a league where the Canadian market has influence, Panarin never stood a chance. There was no way they’d choose him over McDavid, who walks on water.

In truth, McDavid is probably the most physically gifted offensive player who’s ever played the sport. He would’ve put up crazy numbers in the 80s and 90s. The speed with which he can do things is catastrophic. It defies logic. I’m pretty sure Gretzky would agree.

The thing is that they could give him the Hart every year. That’s not how it works. Panarin was more valuable to the Rangers. No disrespect.

Between Panarin not being up for the Hart and the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson getting passed over for the MVP in the NBA, you’d swear it’s a conspiracy. All kidding aside, both New York superstars certainly deserved better.

For the Rangers, they’ll try to follow up another brilliant Brunson performance later tonight in Game 2 against the Hurricanes. Expect it to be tougher.

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Zibanejad leads the Rangers in Game 1 win over Hurricanes

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Derek

It got a little dicey late. But the Rangers skated past the Hurricanes 4-3 to take Game 1 of the best of seven series at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon. They started the second round off on the right foot.

Mika Zibanejad led the way with two goals and an assist for a three-point game. His fingerprints were all over the victory. He scored the first goal only 2:46 in to set the tone.

Zibanejad would later add a big power-play goal to put the Rangers ahead for good in a strong first period. They outscored the Hurricanes 3-1. That included going a perfect 2 for 2 on the man-advantage. Zibanejad added a primary assist on a power-play goal scored by Vincent Trocheck.

When Seth Jarvis made things interesting by getting his first goal of the series to pull the Hurricanes within 4-3 late in regulation, it was Zibanejad who made a key defensive play to close out the win. Prior to that, he won a big defensive draw with the Canes on a six-on-four due to Trocheck being off for delay of game.

Zibanejad’s faceoff win led to Andrei Svechnikov tripping Ryan Lindgren with 35 seconds left to negate the Canes’ power play. It was his takeaway in the neutral zone and soft forehand shot that nearly resulted in a playoff hat trick. Brent Burns hustled in the nick of time to just move the puck away before it went in.

The Canes got off one last desperation shot from Jake Guentzel that Igor Shesterkin turned away before the Rangers cleared the zone to clinch the victory.

It was that kind of ending on 33rd and 7th Avenue for the Blueshirts. They couldn’t do it the easy way. That was due to the Hurricanes, who kept coming. Even after Frederik Andersen gave up a bad goal to Artemi Panarin to put them behind 4-2 with 11:39 left in the third period, they never gave up.

Ultimately, the difference was special teams and the Panarin goal that Andersen allowed. The Rangers went 2 for 2 on the power play while killing off all five Hurricanes’ power plays.

The Canes didn’t get much setup time. They found it hard to get clean shots through. Both the forwards and defensemen were superb for Peter Laviolette’s team. They took away shooting lanes and made it difficult for Carolina to make plays. They were held to four shots up a man.

If there was another noticeable difference, it was the Rangers’ ability to block shots. As a team, they blocked 28. As usual, captain Jacob Trouba led the way with six. He was particularly strong on the penalty kill. Trouba also finished with four hits, including a big one on Jarvis after he was boarded by Chris Kreider.

The fast start was a surprise. On a play that Adam Fox started in transition, Jack Roslovic continued his impressive postseason by circling around the Canes’ net before locating a wide open Zibanejad for an easy one-timer in front past Andersen.

Zibanejad roamed free due to Teuvo Teravainen. He got caught puck watching. Instead of covering Zibanejad, he skated towards Roslovic, who made a perfect pass for the game’s first goal. That extended Roslovic’s point streak to five straight. He is up to five points in five playoff games.

The Canes had a quick response. They tied the game just 62 seconds later. Jake Guentzel and Sebastian Aho combined to get the puck up top for a Jaccob Slavin shot that deflected off Alexis Lafreniere’s stick past Igor Shesterkin into the top of the net.

Almost immediately after, Brady Skjei had a shot hit the goalpost. Matt Rempe then came out and delivered a couple of clean hits. The fourth line was effective throughout the game. They continue to bring energy.

On a play behind the Rangers’ net, Kreider took an unnecessary boarding minor when he hit Jarvis from behind. The Canes came close early. But Martin Necas had his shot go off the goalpost. They had no shots on it.

With the game still tied, Tony DeAngelo nailed Will Cuylle with a high hit. Just before, Cuylle looked like he was taken down from behind by Necas, who thought he had a penalty. Instead, the refs reviewed DeAngelo’s hit for a major. It looked like he landed a forearm to the upper chest of Cuylle. Maybe there was some contact with the helmet. It was hard to tell.

Following the video review, they ruled that DeAngelo had a two-minute minor for roughing. It’s still hard to conclude if it was the right call. The Rangers benefited from the penalty.

On what was a set play following a Trocheck faceoff win, they made short work of their first power play in the series. It took only nine seconds for Trocheck to move the puck in front for Kreider. He then made a misdirection backhand pass for a Zibanejad one-timer that Andersen had no chance on.

It was a beautiful goal. They took advantage of the Canes’ aggressiveness up top. That opened up a space for Kreider to find Zibanejad for a 2-1 lead.

On the next shift, with the fourth line of Barclay Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and Rempe buzzing, the latter got taken off for an iffy goaltender interference minor. Rempe set up in front to try to screen Andersen. He was in a battle with Jordan Staal when his skate made contact with Andersen. It looked like he was guided into him. Laviolette was incensed on the bench.

Despite that, the Rangers once again stepped it up defensively. Their four-man penalty killing units outworked the Hurricanes’ five-man power play units. Whether it was Zibanejad, Kreider, K’Andre Miller, Fox, or Trocheck, Goodrow, Ryan Lindgren, and Trouba, they got it done.

The Canes were limited to two shots. Even after Trouba and Svechnikov were sent off for matching roughing minors during a scrum, they didn’t give up much. Shesterkin stopped Guentzel. That was it.

Bad penalties got Carolina in trouble. Evgeny Kuznetsov cross-checked Fox in the offensive zone to be sent to the box with under four minutes remaining. This time, it took the Blueshirts 14 seconds to make the Canes pay.

Erik Gustafsson filled in for Fox on the top unit. He made a good play to keep the puck alive, followed by Trocheck. Eventually, Trocheck made a backhand feed to Kreider, who had Zibanejad open for a possible hat trick. He fanned on the shot. The puck took a favorable bounce right in front for Trocheck to deposit for a 3-1 lead with 3:32 left. 

The Canes finished the period a little better. But they were unable to beat Shesterkin. Shots were only 7-6 Rangers. That spoke to the commitment to defense.

With over a minute to go, Zibanejad was all alone in front. He faked a shot on Andersen. But instead of going for a backhand, he made a low percentage back pass that missed connection with Panarin. It was exasperating. He already had two goals. It’s a good thing they won.

Early in the second period, Trouba was sent off for a very weak cross-check on Stefan Noesen. By the rulebook, it’s a penalty. It wasn’t much. There were a few calls in the game that made one wonder in astonishment.

Even without one of their top penalty killing defensemen, the Rangers again blanketed the Canes. They could only muster a long Svechnikov shot that Shesterkin easily saves. Other attempts got blocked or missed completely.

Trocheck took the puck the other way to test Andersen shorthanded. He and Goodrow really stood out on each successful kill. They did an outstanding job. Is there anyone still upset over what Goodrow makes?

After the penalty expired, the Canes spent some extended time in the Rangers zone. Staal had a shot stopped by Shesterkin. Staal was arguably the best Hurricanes skater. He had three shots and dominated on faceoffs, going 8 and 2.

There were some good hits in the second. Cuylle laid into Jalen Chatfield, who was seen in pain headed back to the bench. He didn’t miss a shift. Then, Dmitry Orlov caught Trocheck with a clean check. The game was hard fought.

Similar to the first, there weren’t many shots on goal. The Canes continued to struggle offensively. They were held to six shots for the second straight period. They also had some attempts go wide. When they weren’t being blocked, it looked like they were frustrated.

The Rangers had 10 shots in the second. If there was one complaint, the Rangers didn’t establish much of a forecheck. They will need to be better in that area for the next game on Tuesday night. They killed off a Fox slashing minor late in the period.

Early in the third, the Canes got back in it thanks to Necas getting behind Fox and Lindgren to beat Shesterkin low at 2:48. Carolina caught the Rangers in a line change.

An Orlov stretch pass for Jordan Martinook allowed him to slip the puck behind Trocheck for Necas, who cut in between Fox and Lindgren to score his first of the series. That made it a one-goal game.

Urged on by the home crowd, the Blueshirts responded. It came from their leading scorer. Lafreniere made a nice pass for Panarin that allowed him to cut in and fire a wrist shot from the left circle that went right through Andersen to restore a two-goal lead with 11:39 left.

Panarin looked pass but wisely took the shot and got a little lucky. Andersen was unable to squeeze the pads together. It was as ESPN’s Ray Rerraro called, “a backbreaking goal.”

Undaunted, the Canes turned up the heat. They began to dictate the play with their skating and strong puck possession. They doubled up the Rangers in attack time for the game. But it really wasn’t until the final part of the third period that they controlled the action.

Even though they were getting more shots on Shesterkin, not many were Grade A chances. He saw most of the shots. His best save again came on Staal, who got a piece of a shot in front.

As they got down to crunch time, the Rangers sacrificed for the cause. They blocked shots and made the Canes work. It wasn’t until Rod Brind’Amour lifted Andersen for an extra attacker that things got interesting.

A Burns shot was stopped by Shesterkin, who then denied Aho in front. With both Fox and Lindgren outnumbered, Jarvis steered in a rebound to make it 4-3 with 1:47 remaining.

After Brind’Amour used his timeout, the Canes tried to tie it. Following sending a shot wide, Svechnikov had another shot gloved by Shesterkin with exactly a minute left. It looked like it was going wide.

In a battle on the wall, Trocheck batted a puck in midair with his glove that went directly over the glass and out. The refs and linemen got together before correctly calling Trocheck for a delay of game minor with 41 seconds left.

The Canes’ last hope was a six-on-four. But following a Zibanejad faceoff win over Aho, Svechnikov took down Lindgren to end the power play with 35 ticks left. It became four-on-four until the Canes could pull Andersen once more.

Zibanejad then made a heads-up defensive play on Burns in the neutral zone. He sent a shot towards the open net. Burns did a great job to save a goal.

Following one last Shesterkin stop on Guentzel, the Rangers got the puck out as time expired to seal the win in Game 1.

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Pastrnak’s overtime winner is the latest cruel ending for Leafs

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Derek

It was do or die last night in Boston. The Maple Leafs had battled back by taking Games 5 and 6 to force a deciding seventh game against the Bruins.

There was a lot riding on the line. If Boston lost, they would’ve become the first team in playoff history to blow 3-1 series leads in consecutive years. If Toronto lost, it would’ve been another colossal failure for one of the league’s most talented teams.

For over two periods, there was no score. After the Bruins controlled most of the first period, it was all Leafs in the second period. They dominated the puck possession and had some quality chances to score.

Jeremy Swayman was outstanding in stopping all 12 shots in the second. That included a huge save on William Nylander.  It was set up by Matthew Knies after a Charlie McAvoy turnover at the Leafs’ blue line. Swayman faced enormous pressure. In a series where he was the best player, the Bruins netminder gave his team a chance to avoid making history.

The third period was tightly contested. Just when the Bruins had momentum, they got scored on. Tyler Bertuzzi stole the puck in the corner. Then Auston Matthews came out and passed across for an easy Nylander one-timer past Swayman to give the Leafs the lead with 10:59 left.

It felt over. The Leafs had defended so well in front of Ilya Samsonov that it looked exactly like the last two games. The only difference was that Joseph Woll was in the net. Unfortunately, he came down with an injury late in Game 6. That forced Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe to start Samsonov.

Matthews was a bigger story. He’d missed the last two games with an injury. He exited Game 4 early due to an illness. At least that was what was relayed. However, Keefe revealed that the Leafs’ superstar got hurt. He returned for Game 7. Even at less than full strength, he made things happen. It was his setup that led to Nylander’s third goal in two games.

Following Nylander’s tally, the Bruins finally got desperate. Playing for their playoff lives, a strong shift from the third line led to Hampus Lindholm scoring the tying goal 81 seconds later.

After a close call with a Justin Brazeau shot just deflecting over the top of the Leafs’ net, James van Riemsdyk fed Lindholm, who was able to beat Samsonov from a tough angle with a good shot that went short side inside the goalpost. That tied the score with 9:38 left in regulation.

The Leafs only had one shot over the next nine minutes. The tables were reversed. It was the Bruins who were more aggressive. They nearly had the go-ahead goal. David Pastrnak was all set up, but his one-timer from the slot missed over the top with Samsonov scrambling.

As the clock wound down, it looked like the Leafs were content to take their chances in overtime. They won Game 5 that way. But with seconds to spare, Nylander had a pass bank off a Bruin towards the net. An alert Swayman made a great save to deny what would’ve been an own goal at the buzzer.

Sudden death didn’t take long to decide. Knies made an early bid to end it, but Swayman made the clutch save. The Leafs wouldn’t threaten again.

On a Brandon Carlo outlet, Lindholm was in the neutral zone when he made a great read. He threw a bank pass off the wall that a speeding Pastrnak collected to get behind Morgan Rielly for a clean break-in on Samsonov. Called out by coach Jim Montgomery after Game 6, he faked to the forehand and went to the backhand on a deke to win the game for the Bruins at 61:54.

It was a great move and finish by one of the game’s best goal scorers. Pastrnak entered with just two goals. He delivered in the clutch to win the series for Boston.

For the Leafs, it was another crushing defeat. They always seem to wind up on the wrong side in these big spots. Especially against the Bruins. They’ll have all summer to wonder how they came up short. They looked like the better team. Even with the injuries that limited Nylander, Matthews, and kept Woll out of Game 7.

Unlike their past first round failures, this wasn’t a choke. It was a different set of circumstances. With their backs to the wall, the Leafs fought hard to get back in the series. They overcame the loss of Matthews to force Game 7. They struggled to score goals against Swayman, who was brilliant. But they defended much better to make it tough on the Bruins.

Ironically, Keefe coached well. He made adjustments to help the Leafs play better defensively. They looked organized. Joel Edmundson was very strong on the blue line. They allowed both Woll and Samsonov to see most of the shots.

But on the Pastrnak series clincher, it was a total breakdown. The Leafs’ best players got caught napping. They were turned the wrong way on the Lindholm dump in off the boards. That included both Rielly and Mitch Marner, who again didn’t distinguish himself in the postseason. They were the biggest culprits on the Pastrnak overtime winner. They got beat badly.

Now, a long off-season awaits for a franchise that hasn’t advanced past the second round in 22 years. The Leafs will make changes to a core that’s been in place for a while. The likely candidates to get moved are Marner and John Tavares. Both have no-trade clauses. There are two years remaining on their contracts.

Toronto has waited over five decades to see a winner. The Leafs last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. It’s now up to 57 years (56 seasons) without one. At some point, that has to change.

Keefe is likely to lose his job. He couldn’t get the Leafs over the hump. Toronto should be in the market for a new coach.

As for the Bruins, they advanced to the second round. They’ll face the Panthers. The same team that broke Boston hearts by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to win in the first round last year. The Panthers went on a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Golden Knights.

Boston will be seeking revenge. The question is, what do they have left? The first round series against Toronto was very competitive. It was a real battle. By the conclusion, they looked slow. They can’t be against the high flying Panthers.

Considering the talent and depth Florida has, they should prevail. We’ll see what Boston comes up with.

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