Rangers lose fourth in a row after blowing third-period lead to Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. – The last time the Rangers were in this building, which was then known as PNC Arena but now has been rechristened Lenovo Center, Chris Kreider’s third-period hat trick rescued the Blueshirts from a two-goal deficit to give the Rangers a series-clinching win over the Hurricanes in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series.

On Wednesday, when the Rangers returned here for the first time this season, they were in the throes of a three-game losing streak and didn’t have Kreider in the lineup, as he was out for the second straight game with what he revealed were back spasms. They were still without Filip Chytil, as well, out a sixth straight game with an upper-body injury.

And even though they played their strongest game in a week, and they carried a lead into the third period, they still lost, as Jesperi Kotkaniemi tied the game on a wraparound goal against Igor Shesterkin (26 saves) with 10:06 left and fourth-line winger Jackson Blake scored the winner on a power-play goal with 7:59 to go in a 4-3 Hurricanes win.

Vincent Trocheck was in the box serving a hooking penalty when Carolina scored the go-ahead goal.

The loss extended the losing streak to four, and the Rangers are now 4-6 in their last 10 games. They continue the road trip Friday afternoon in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

With the locker room still uneasy after reports surfaced this week that Rangers GM Chris Drury had alerted the rest of the league he was looking to make trades, the Rangers perhaps were fortunate to catch Carolina while their top two goalies, Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkovm were out with injuries. The Hurricanes were starting their third-stringer, Spencer Martin, who carried a 3.40 goals-against average and .854 save percentage into the game.

But Carolina jumped out to the early lead on a goal by Jack Drury – Chris Drury’s nephew – from a sharp angle, at 4:53 of the first period. And the Hurricanes, always a high-volume shot team, were dominating possession in the first half of the period.

The Rangers tied it late in the period when Jonny Brodzinski, back in the lineup replacing Matt Rempe, who was sent back to Hartford Tuesday, found himself wide open in the slot and buried a shot off a pass from Jimmy Vesey to tie it 1-1 at 17:38 of the period.

The Hurricanes re-took the lead on a power-play goal by Seth Jarvis at 1:13 of the second, just as a penalty to Will Cuylle was expiring, but rookie Brett Berard, playing in his second NHL game, whipped a wrister from the left wing past Martin on the short side for his first NHL goal, to tie it 2-2 at 9:13.

Kaapo Kakko, centering the third line in Chytil’s absence, left the game briefly after taking a knock to his right leg, but he returned late in the period and was on ice when his linemates Reilly Smith and Adam Edstrom combined to score the go-ahead goal. The pair were up ice on a two-on-one and Smith passed to Edstrom, who roofed it for his second goal of the season at 18:49.

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

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.