NEW YORK – The Rangers have won six straight games to open this playoffs – the first time they have accomplished that feat since winning the Stanley Cup in 1994 – with Tuesday’s victory being by far the hardest to come by.
They were dominated for stretches in Game 2 of their second round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but found a way to weather the storm each time and ultimately managed to claw their way to a victory of 4-3 in double overtime at Madison Square Garden.
That resilience and calm under pressure has been a common thread all season, as evidenced by their NHL-leading 28 comeback victories.
“It’s the makeup of the team,” captain Jacob Trouba said. “It’s been like this for a while, it feels like it. There’s never really any panic in the room, between periods, whatever. I think we have the confidence, and confidence is something you build throughout the course of the year. I don’t think we ever feel like we’re short on games.”
Vincent Trocheck scored the game-winner with 12:36 left in the second overtime, giving the versatile center one goal in five straight playoff games to tie a franchise record that dates back to Cecil Dillon in 1933.
“I can’t tell you what happened,” Trocheck said with a dazed smile. “I’ll watch it and let you know.”
This ensures that these never-say-anything Rangers will take a 2-0 series lead when they fly to Carolina for Game 3 on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Canes – who outshot New York, 57-39, and probably deserved better given how well they played – can still make it interesting by protecting home ice. But the Blueshirts, after experiencing both the thrill of their 2022 run to the Eastern Conference finals and the disappointment of last year’s first-round elimination, emerged with a closer bond and thicker skin as a result.
They just don’t blink an eye, which has led to an exciting start to these playoffs.
“They’re having fun,” said head coach Peter Laviolette. “I think there’s good camaraderie. I think they play hard for each other in the game. I think they practice hard together. I think they get along well off the ice. It was part of a plan to come here, and you hope to build something the right way. The players really have to take ownership of it, and they did.
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Special teams dominance continues
Trocheck’s game-winner was another defining moment for the Rangers’ top power play unit, which also produced Chris Kreider’s tying goal with 13:53 left in regulation.
They have scored PP goals in five straight games, including at least two of four, while recording a success rate of 40% (10 of 25).
That ranks second in these playoffs behind the mighty Edmonton Oilers (45%), providing the Blueshirts with a weapon that the shorthanded Hurricanes – who ranked first in the NHL during the regular season – don’t. failed to understand.
“We hope to score,” Trocheck said of the PP. “So far in these playoffs, special teams have been so important. … We know there’s a lot of counting on us and there’s a lot of pressure there. When we have that confidence, this pace, we just want to try to keep doing the same things to keep it going.”
Keeping up with the accolades on the power play was another stellar performance on the penalty kill.
The Rangers went 5 of 5 on the PK for the second straight game and posted a 92.6 percent success rate (25 of 27) through six playoff games.
“This part of the game is going well right now,” Trouba said. “Obviously that can change. We’d like to keep it that way, but I don’t think you can count on that or want to win games strictly that way. I think we generated a decent amount at five-on-five, but when you win the special teams battle, I think that proves to be a key part of NHL hockey.”
“Igor-esque”
Did we already mention that Igor Shesterkin finished with 54 saves? This ranks him third among Rangers goalies in franchise playoff history.
That tally included stopping each of the last 32 shots he faced, including 15 between the two OTs.
Trocheck simply called it “Igor-esque”.
“We obviously won’t win this game without him,” Trouba said. “It’s Igor. There’s not much else to say. You know the effort, the tenacity, everything he brings every night. How much he wants to win and what he brings to the team, I can’t really measure it.”
Jake Guentzel’s line seems to be problematic
Don’t count out the stubborn hurricanes yet.
They represent some progress in class over the Rangers’ first-round opponent, the Washington Capitals, and returned to what they do best on Tuesday. That meant using their speed and forward try to generate long possessions while peppering Blueshirts goaltender Igor Shesterkin with shots from all angles. They finished with 42 shots in regulation after being held to 25 in Sunday’s Game 1 loss, then added 15 more in the two overtimes.
“It’s a very good team,” Laviolette said. “It’s not going to be the case, check every 60 minutes and move on to the next game. You’re going to have to fight just to get your share of half the minutes and move on. And that’s probably how it’s going to be .it’s playoff hockey from now on.
The Canes were the better team at even strength, demonstrating why they have a reputation as one of the NHL’s analytical darlings. They shot themselves in the foot by receiving eight penalties, including three in the third period. But when the game was played five-on-five, they had a 44-28 advantage in shots.
Their top line of Jake Guentzel, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov was in the middle of this effort, with Guentzel scoring two goals off a couple of assists from Aho. They combined for 14 shots on goal and five high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, and were the best line for both teams.
It wasn’t enough to cost the Rangers the game, but finding a way to slow them down will be a key going into Game 3.
Peaks and valleys
Laviolette rightly described Game 2 as “a roller coaster.”
The Blueshirts got off to a good start, as Alexis Lafrenière scored his first goal of the playoffs on a high wrist shot from the left circle to put New York ahead, 1-0, at 10:53 of the first period. . The play was sparked by an active forecheck from Alex Wennberg, who rushed to win a puck battle in the corner and create the goal-scoring possession.
The Rangers rode that momentum for a few minutes, holding the Hurricanes without a shot on goal for 5:29. But that drought was suddenly broken when Guentzel fired a long Aho slap shot past Shesterkin to tie the score at 1-1 with 4:53 left in the period.
Dmitry Orlov scored on another tip, this one off a pass from former Ranger Brady Skjei, to give Carolina a 2-1 lead with just five seconds left in the first intermission.
It was the first of two goals the Blueshirts allowed in the last two minutes of a period.
It also set the tone for the Canes to return to their high-octane identity. After being credited with six high-danger scoring chances in all of Game 1, they racked up eight HDCFs in the first period of Game 2 alone.
“There will be ups and downs,” Laviolette said. “I’m glad that when the wave was going up and down, we were able to bring it back up.”
Alexis Lafrenière steps up to the plate
Carolina continued to push the offense in the second period, including a furious stretch that included six shots in 31 seconds.
But the Rangers turned their momentum around again thanks to some outstanding play from Adam Fox. He looked hobbled to start this series, but not for this particular team.
The 26-year-old defender danced deep into the Canes zone and found Lafrenière charging the net for his second goal of the game.
Lafrenière finished with five shots on eight attempts in what was certainly his best game so far in these playoffs.
“It’s just a continuation of his regular season,” Laviolette said. “There’s good chemistry on this line (with Trocheck and Artemi Panarin). It hasn’t been touched all year. I haven’t moved any pieces in or out in different directions .He was going there tonight, so when a player goes and you can see it – and I saw it – you want them there.
That tied the score at 2-2 at 7:32 of the second period, with the deadlock remaining until Guentzel and Aho made their second connection of the night.
It started with Trouba – who had a rough performance that included three penalties, but led all skaters with nine blocks – throwing an ill-advised pass in the middle of the neutral zone, which was intercepted by Tony DeAngelo and pushed to Aho . The Carolina center absorbed a few hits along the boards before making a one-on-one pass to a streaking Guentzel for a one-timer that made it 3-2 Canes with 1:42 to go. play in the second period.
The Hurricanes continued to vibrate in the third, especially when the game was played 5-on-5, but a costly trip to Orlov put the Rangers’ dangerous power play on ice with 14:38 to play. Kreider took advantage of a rebound from Trocheck to score a power play goal, leading to the third tie of the game, this time at 3-3.
Nearly two full periods later, Trocheck capped the marathon night with his second point of the night and fifth goal of the playoffs. He led all skaters with a time of 35:21 on ice – a rare feat for a forward – while recording six shots in 15 attempts. It was an unusually down night for the 30-year-old center in the faceoff circle (13-for-34, 38 percent), but he remained an all-around force.
“He keeps answering the bell,” Laivolette said. “He was outstanding. He’s committed. You can see it in his demeanor, and you can see it in the way he plays.”
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Learn more about his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
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