Zibanejad leads Rangers to win over ‘Canes
Kane’s hat trick lifts Oilers over Flames; Lightning stops Panthers
NEW YORK — After two tough losses on the road put them in another series deficit, the New York Rangers again bounced back with a big home win.
Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots, and the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 Sunday in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.
“It was a tight battle again,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Igor was outstanding for us, and that was they key. … We defended pretty good and guys did the right thing with the puck.”
Chris Kreider and Tyler Motte also scored as the Rangers cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-ofseven matchup. Game 4 is Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s a terrific environment … so much energy throughout the entire game,” Kreider said. “It’s easy to feed off the energy the crowd brings.”
It was just New York’s second win against Carolina in the teams’ last 10 meetings, dating to the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs in the bubble in Toronto. The Hurricanes swept that bestof-five series in three games and won three of four in the regular season.
The Rangers, who came back from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round against Pittsburgh, improved to 4-1 at home. They got a much-needed win against the Hurricanes after losing 2-1 in OT in Game 1 and 2-0 in Game 2.
“I liked the way we battled in those two games in Carolina,” Gallant said. “We felt like we were going to win the hockey game. Our goalie was outstanding in the first half of the game and made some big key saves for us. I thought we played well enough to win.”
Nino Niederreiter scored for Carolina, and Antti Raanta finished with 30 saves. The Hurricanes, 6-0 at home, dropped to 0-4 on the road this postseason.
“We definitely had our opportunities to win,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It felt good the way we were going. We couldn’t get pucks through the net.”
The Hurricanes were 0 for 3 on the power play, falling to 0 for 7 in this series. The Rangers were 1 for 2 and are now 1 for 7.
“We have to find a way just to bear down when we have the chances,” Niederreiter said. “Our penalty-kill is, for the most part, terrific. The power play, we just can’t seem to find a way to get a goal.”
Shesterkin had 17 saves in the first period, 17 in the second and nine in the third.
OILERS 4, FLAMES 1: In Edmonton, Alberta, Evander Kane had three goals in a six-minute span in the second period, Leon Draisaitl set an NHL record with four assists in one playoff period and the Oilers defeated Calgary to take a 2-1 lead in their secondround playoff series.
Zach Hyman had the other goal for Edmonton and Connor McDavid had three more assists. Mike Smith, who was briefly replaced by Mikko Koskinen in the third period after getting run over by Milan Lucic, made 31 saves. Koskinen wasn’t forced to make a stop in just over four minutes.
Oliver Kylington scored the lone goal for Calgary. Jacob Markstrom allowed four goals on 34 shots before getting pulled for the Flames, who have been outscored 8-1 since taking a 3-1 lead in the second period of Game 2. Dan Vladar made seven saves in relief.
McDavid now has 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) through 10 postseason games. The only players in NHL playoff history with more points in the same span are Wayne Gretzky (29 in 1983; 25 in 1985), Mario Lemieux (25 in 1992) and Rick Middleton (23 in 1983).
The Oilers will look to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series Tuesday night at Edmonton.
LIGHTNING 5, PANTHERS 1: In Tampa, Florida, Andrei Vasilevskiy is a not-so-secret key ingredient in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s recipe for success in the playoffs.
The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy recipient won his fifth straight postseason game Sunday, stopping 34 of 35 shots to help the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Florida Panthers and move to the brink of another trip to the Eastern Conference final.
“It all starts with him,” forward Nick Paul said after Vasilevskiy stood tall again in shutting down the high-scoring Panthers, who had the NHL’s best record while averaging a league-high four goals per game during the regular season.
The Presidents’ Trophy winners have three goals in three games against the Lightning, who have a commanding 3-0 series lead and are within one victory of advancing to the conference final for the sixth time in eight years.
Steven Stamkos scored two goals and Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three assists for the Lightning, who are in the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons under Cooper. Game 4 is Monday night at Amalie Arena, where Tampa Bay has won three of four games this postseason.
“We’re pleased with what’s going on here. But you know, we haven’t done anything yet,” Cooper said. “Until you start checking off that fourth win, there’s nothing we can sit and hang our hat on.”
Corey Perry got the Lightning off to a strong start with his 50th career playoff goal and Erik Cernak also scored.
Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, allowed just one goal for the fourth straight game after allowing at least three in each of Tampa Bay’s first six games this postseason.
Sam Reinhart scored Florida’s lone goal Sunday, snapping a puzzling 0-for-25 start to the playoffs for the Panthers’ power play.