Rangers ride strong special-teams play to Game 1 win over Hurricanes
Rangers players celebrate a second goal by center Mika Zibanejad against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first period of Game 1 of an NHL Stanley Cup second-round playoff series at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The problem with the Rangers, the critics insisted all season, was that they don’t score enough in five-on-five play. They are too reliant on their power play for their success, the detractors say, and that won’t work in the playoffs, when the games get more physical and referees tend to call fewer penalties.
But relying on their special teams has worked for the Rangers in the postseason. The power play and penalty kill were key in the first-round sweep of overmatched Washington, and on Sunday, special teams proved to be the difference in a 4-3 win at Madison Square Garden that gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Game 2 of the series will be played on Tuesday at the Garden, though the start time for the game has not been announced.
Mika Zibanejad, who led the Rangers with seven points in the Washington series, had two goals and an assist, and Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin had the other goals. Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves as the Rangers limited the volume-shooting Hurricanes to 25 shots on goal.
The Rangers’ power play went 2-for-2 and their penalty kill also was perfect, snuffing out five Carolina power plays, as the Blueshirts won their fifth straight game to open the postseason.
“Obviously, it’s a playoff game and it’s a pretty tight game five-on-five,’’ said Panarin, whose even-strength goal midway through the third period gave the Rangers a 4-2 lead and proved to be the game-winner. “So you have to use your chances five-on-four and try your best to limit them at four-on-five.’’
“I thought we played a pretty good game,’’ Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “There were a couple [penalty] kills we didn’t quite execute right and they did. They made their three quick passes and hit it, and we were just a step off, and that’s the difference.’’
The Hurricanes, who beat the Islanders in five games in their first-round series, made the Rangers sweat, though. Trailing by two goals late in the third, they pulled goalie Frederik Andersen for the extra skater and Seth Jarvis jammed in a shot with 1:45 left to pull the visitors within 4-3.
With 40.5 seconds left, the officials ruled that Trocheck had shot the puck over the glass for an automatic penalty, giving Carolina one last power play. But on the ensuing faceoff, Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov was sent off for tripping Ryan Lindgren, and the Rangers were able to hold on.
Zibanejad had a chance to complete his hat trick into an empty net, but Carolina defenseman Brent Burns managed to clear the puck away just before it reached the goal line.
Zibanejad’s first goal, at 2:46 of the first period, gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead, but Jaccob Slavin tied it at 3:48 when his shot from the left point ticked the stick of Alexis Lafreniere, bounced off the ice and flew over a stunned Shesterkin.
That’s when the special teams began to reshape the game. Chris Kreider was sent off for boarding against Jarvis, and the Rangers killed that. Then former Ranger Tony DeAngelo was penalized for driving his forearm into the face of Rangers forward Will Cuylle, who already was being checked by Martin Necas.
Necas initially was sent to the box, but the officials huddled and it was announced that the play was being reviewed to see if it warranted a five-minute major penalty. They settled on a roughing call against DeAngelo, and Zibanejad scored his second goal on the ensuing power play to put the Rangers ahead at 10:05.
The Rangers then killed a goalie interference penalty to Matt Rempe, allowing no shots on goal. When Evgeny Kuznetsov was called for cross-checking Adam Fox in the face at 16:14, they took advantage when Trocheck jammed in the rebound of Zibanejad’s shot. His fourth goal of the playoffs made it 3-1 at 16:28.
Necas got behind the Rangers’ defense and slipped a shot by Shesterkin at 2:48 of the third period to pull Carolina within 3-2, but Panarin fired a shot from the left wing that sneaked between Andersen’s stick arm and his side to restore the two-goal lead at 8:21.
Panarin, who led the Rangers in scoring in the regular season with 49 goals and 120 points, had a chance to pass to Trocheck but decided to shoot instead.
“In my mind, I was going backhand and trying to make a pass to [Trocheck],’’ Panarin said. “And just, last second, I decided to shoot it. And somehow the puck went in.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
