For two periods, it looked like one team would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. If we’re being honest, the Rangers were fortunate to be up 1-0 on the Hurricanes after the second period.

What happened in the third period wasn’t shocking by any means. If you watched the first period, it was obvious that the Hurricanes were much faster and created more dangerous scoring chances. They were stoned by Igor Shesterkin.

Buoyed by a terrific solo effort from captain Jacob Trouba, who blocked a shot and scored shorthanded to give them a one-goal lead, the Rangers limited the Hurricanes in a better second. Instead of attacking following a successful penalty kill, they backed off.

The end result was a storm surge by the Hurricanes. They scored four goals in a dominant third to stun the Rangers 4-1 to force Game 6 on Thursday in Raleigh. It will be a madhouse when the series shifts back to Carolina.

After losing the first three games in the second round, the Hurricanes have come back strong to get back in the series. They now trail the Rangers three games to two with the next game back home. If they can win, suddenly it’ll force a seventh game. Something that didn’t seem possible.

Now, it is thanks to an inspired performance by Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes captain willed his team to a resounding third period comeback that made Madison Square Garden sound like a library. During a power play that produced exactly nothing, the Rangers heard some boos from fans who paid ridiculous prices to see Game 5. We’re talking between $500 to $1000.

The once Rangers’ strength in the series has evaporated. They’re 1 for the last 10 on the power play. The Canes have been even more aggressive, creating some opportunities shorthanded. If not for Shesterkin, they would’ve had one. He stopped Teuvo Teravainen in the first period.

Speaking of Staal, it was his highlight reel goal that tied the game with 16:27 left in the third. On a play in the neutral zone, Dmitry Orlov noticed that Mika Zibanejad was changing. He made a good lead pass for Staal, who then turned Braden Schneider into a statue before tucking a backhand past a too still Shesterkin.

It was the play of the game. Staal had a few chances earlier. But he couldn’t beat Shesterkin. The Hurricanes’ first 25 shots were stopped by the Rangers netminder.

But even after killing off the remainder of a Will Cuylle penalty, they didn’t go forward. They were content to win the game 1-0. It was eerily similar to how the Rangers played following getting an Alexis Lafreniere tying goal early in the third period in Game 4. They paid for it.

Unlike that one, the Rangers melted down tonight. They looked shell shocked. The Hurricanes kept attacking. It was similar to the first period when their transition was causing problems. Shesterkin covered up the lackluster defense by making nine saves. He didn’t get any help in the third.

On a seamless transition, Jesperi Kotkaniemi fed Game 4 hero Brady Skjei for a one-timer that Shesterkin leaked a juicy rebound on. Evgeny Kuznetsov finished it with ease to put the Hurricanes ahead for good with 13:21 remaining.

The culprit was Artemi Panarin. For the second straight game, he was a non-factor. His failure to pick up Kuznetsov was as mind-numbing as his inability to take Sebastian Aho on the Canes’ third goal in Game 4.

It’s inexplicable what’s happened to Panarin. He has only two shots in the last two Rangers’ defeats. Even worse, when they fell behind 3-1, he was hesitant to shoot the puck. On a good rush, he tried a hope pass that got intercepted by the diligent Hurricanes defense. If they want to close it out and not be forced to face playoff history, they need Panarin to be a factor in three days.

The really disappointing aspect was how little resolve they showed. They never responded after falling behind. The Canes made it three in a row over three minutes later.

Facing some pressure behind his net by Jack Drury, Trouba turned over the puck. With Mika Zibanejad vacating the front of the net to chase Martin Necas, that left Jordan Martinook all alone to bury a Necas feed to make it 3-1.

Nobody was in the right position on Martinook’s goal. Trouba panicked. Neither Zibanejad nor Jack Roslovic made good reads. Erik Gustafsson was out of the picture. It was how not to play defense.

Andrei Svechnikov took a bad penalty when he flung the puck out of play. That was a chance for the Blueshirts to get back in it. Instead, they couldn’t do anything on their third power play. It was one and done.

They make life easy on Frederik Andersen. He made stopped six shots in the third. None were high quality. For the game, Andersen finished with 19 saves. That in itself typified how poorly the Rangers played. They never made him work.

With over three and a half minutes left, Shesterkin was lifted for a six-on-five. Necas had other ideas. He sent the fans for the exits by slamming a turnaround shot in from his zone with 3:31 remaining.

The only line that came to play was the third line. Alex Wennberg missed on a wrap-around on a strong shift in the first period. He, Cuylle, and Kaapo Kakko spent some time in the Canes’ zone. They were the only constant. Kakko had three shots on goal.

Matt Rempe was fine in his return. He had one noticeable shift where he protected the puck against Skjei, leading to some sustained pressure from the fourth line. It can’t always be Barclay Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and whoever plays with them to generate offense on the forecheck.

The bottom six forwards gave maximum effort. They are absolved. The top six didn’t. Despite dominating on faceoffs by going 12 for 15, Zibanejad had a quiet game with only one shot. Chris Kreider was only effective shorthanded. He didn’t do much. Roslovic got one chance in the second when he split the Carolina defense but was stopped by Andersen.

Vincent Trocheck has come back to earth. He was again excellent, going 15 and 6 on faceoffs. But outside of one chance, he wasn’t that noticeable. Lafreniere tried to make something happen in the third. But even his best attempts were stifled.

Adam Fox wasn’t a factor. He got beat on a dangerous Canes’ chance in the first. He clearly isn’t right. Ever since that knee injury against the Caps, Fox hasn’t looked as explosive. He’s so crucial to what the Rangers do. If he’s hurting, that’s problematic.

Gustafsson struggled again. He isn’t helping Trouba, who’s exposed by the Hurricanes’ speed. It’s time for Peter Laviolette to seriously consider benching his favorite defenseman for Zac Jones. Jones is a much better skater who can take some of the pressure off Trouba. He’s more steady defensively. An area the Rangers are lacking as this series has evolved.

Schneider had a second straight tough night. He was walked by Staal on his game-tying goal by getting caught flat-footed. He also made a bad pinch earlier that led to Canes’ chance.

K’Andre Miller finished the game a minus-2. But he’s the only defenseman who’s played well. It wasn’t his fault that Panarin let Kuznetsov go for the game-winner. All he could do was watch Staal beat Schneider for the Canes’ first goal.

There hasn’t been enough urgency. The Rangers have to play with more desperation on Thursday. If not, they could be staring at blowing a 3-0 series lead this weekend.