Artemi Panarin scored in overtime as the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, Thursday night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the second-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Blueshirts lead the best-of-seven series three games to none, and can close it out Saturday night.
Chris Kreider scored a shorthanded goal, Alexis Lafrenière gave the Rangers a lead in the third period and – stop us if you’ve heard this one before – Igor Shesterkin was brilliant in net again, making 45 saves at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC.
The Rangers’ penalty-kill unit had another tremendous game, holding Carolina’s second-ranked power play to 0-for-5 for a third consecutive game. The Canes are 0-for-15 on the power play in the series. Overall in the playoffs, the Rangers’ PK is 30-for-32 (93.8 percent).
Here are the takeaways…
– The Rangers have won all seven of their playoff games so far and are the only team in the playoffs without a loss. It’s the second time in franchise history they’ve accomplished the feat. The first was 1994. Does anyone remember how that season ended? The last NHL team to win its first seven playoff games was the 2008 Pittsburgh Penguins.
– Lafrenière scored his goal with 13:35 remaining in the third period off a nice feed from Panarin, who got the puck from Vincent Trocheck. Lafrenière shot the puck over the glove of Carolina goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who was starting for the first time in the playoffs. It was Lafrenière’s third goal in the last two games.
– The Canes tied the score at 2 with 1:36 remaining in the third period when Andrei Svechnikov cashed in on a rebound from the slot. Carolina had pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in a desperate attempt to get the equalizer.
– There were 15 minor penalties called in regulation, which likely drove both coaches crazy. The Rangers had 16 penalty minutes and Carolina had 14.
– The first period ended with Carolina holding a 1-0 lead after the Canes spent much of the period pushing the action, outshooting the Blueshirts, 17-7. Ranger-killer Jake Guentzel scored his third goal of the series when he redirected a Dmitry Orlov shot past Shesterkin with 9:46 left. It was Guentzel’s 11th career playoff goal against the Rangers in only 10 games. The score was set up by Svechnikov’s physical work in the corner, when he fetched the puck and fed it to Orlov, triggering the play.
– The first period was quite physical and Carolina was credited with 16 hits to the Rangers’ three. Each…