Monday night’s victory against the Dallas Stars was a wild one as the Carolina Hurricanes scored five times in the third period to earn the 6-4 win. With Turkey Day around the corner, the Canes welcomed the New York Rangers to town for their first meeting since the Rangers eliminated Carolina in May. With another installment in a budding rivalry brewing, there was no doubt the fans at the Lenovo Center were in for a good fight.
The Hurricanes dressed the same group from Monday’s win, including Spencer Martin in the net. Martin’s numbers weren’t great against Dallas, but he was timely in the third period as the Canes made their comeback. Igor Shesterkin stood across from him for the Rangers, who would be without Game 6 hero Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil.
It was a fast start for the Hurricanes, getting the opening marker within the first five minutes. Dmitry Orlov and Martin Necas extended their point streaks to six and four games, respectively, as Jack Drury scored from a sharp angle. Drury was just above the goal line and banked his shot off the side of Shesterkin’s mask.
A failed power play by the Canes helped the Rangers slowly work back into the game, eventually tying it by taking advantage of a misplay from Jackson Blake. The rookie failed to clear the puck, allowing the Rangers to keep it in. Jimmy Vesey found Jonny Brodzinski with space in the slot and he put it over Martin’s shoulder to knot the game at one late in the period.
The Canes’ power play would earn its chance at redemption with a carry-over opportunity in the second period. They took the entire two minutes to find the goal, but Necas feathered a pass through Ryan Lindgren’s legs to Seth Jarvis at the backdoor to put the Canes back ahead. It was a fortunate result for an otherwise lackluster attempt.
While it felt like the Hurricanes were controlling the play, the Rangers refused to go away. They scored twice to take the lead, taking advantage of a pair of turnovers to score in transition. The tying goal was Brett Berard’s first of his career, burying a 2-on-1 chance as he caught Martin guessing. Late in the period, a bouncing puck eluded Orlov’s stick, allowing Reilly Smith to skate past him and set up Adam Edstrom for the go-ahead marker.
In typical Carolina fashion, they found their magic in the third period. They got a little help from the iron after Jacob Trouba threw a shot off the crossbar before creating their own luck to tie the game. I’m not sure what Shesterkin was doing, but Jesperi Kotkaniemi took advantage of the Rangers netminder by sneaking a wrap-around through his five-hole. It was a bizarre goal, though it counted all the same.
Vincent Trocheck would be called for hooking shortly after the tying goal, giving the Canes’ power play another chance. The second unit, who hadn’t scored a goal this season, chose the perfect time to break through. Drury found Blake with a ton of space in the slot and the rookie scored the biggest goal of his young career, snapping his shot between Shesterkin’s arm to put the Canes back in front. New York never found a response. Martin shut the door and the defense smothered the Rangers to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
This was one of the rare meetings when the Rangers’ depth players were the reason they stayed in the game because the top guys for New York were nowhere to be found. Artemi Panarin had one shot, as did Alexis Lafreniere and Mika Zibanejad. Adam Fox had an assist but was largely quiet. Vincent Trocheck was okay but took a costly penalty. Jacob Trouba was very Trouba-esque, providing very little. Igor Shesterkin wasn’t sharp in the third period. It resulted in the Rangers losing their fourth straight.
The two areas the Canes lost during their series with the Rangers in the second round were special teams and goaltending. They checked both boxes on Wednesday. Spencer Martin was tested early and often in the first period, making several big stops on redirected shots. Things slowed down in the final 40 minutes and his team didn’t give him much help on the two second-period goals, but he largely outplayed a former Vezina winner.
The results were there for the power play, though I’d hardly call it good with how they looked for most of their chances. They needed every second of their power play on Jarvis’ goal, though the second unit really went to work on the eventual game-winner. The area of this win that stood out the most was the Canes’ discipline. They only took two penalties and the penalty kill was nearly flawless on both. They never allowed the Rangers to get comfortable and create chances.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will have Thanksgiving Day to enjoy this win because the defending champions loom on the other side of the holiday. They’ll face off on Friday and Saturday, beginning with a chance to extend their home win streak to double digits on Black Friday. The Canes start their December slate next week at home against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday and the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
