Rangers shred Hurricanes, romp in Game 7
West final between Oilers and Avalanche begins on Tuesday night in Denver
RALEIGH, N.C. — Chris Kreider scored twice, Igor Shesterkin was strong in net again and the New York Rangers ended Carolina’s perfect postseason run at home, beating the Hurricanes 6-2 in the decisive Game 7 of their second-round playoff series Monday night.
Shesterkin — a finalist for the for both the Vezina Trophy for the league’s top goalie and Hart Trophy for most valuable player — finished with 36 saves and carried the shutout well into the third period. That included one stop from flat on his back on Sebastian Aho near the right post. Shesterkin snagged the puck between his legs flailing, as if trying to make a snow angel late in the first period.
Kreider and Adam Fox had first-period power-play goals as the Rangers raced to a quick lead.
The Rangers then rode Shesterkin’s latest offense-stymieing performance to win a fifth straight elimination game in these playoffs. Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil also scored in what became an unexpected rout, with Andrew Copp adding a late empty-netter.
New York advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2015, earning a matchup with two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay. New York will host Game 1 of that series Wednesday night.
The Hurricanes were slowed by losing goaltender Antti Raanta and top-line rookie forward Seth Jarvis to injury.
Jarvis took a jarring high hit in the first period and Raanta went down went down with a lower-body injury while stretching out his right leg for a stop in the second. Neither returned to the game.
The Rangers’ win came in an arena where the Hurricanes had gone 7-0 in the playoffs, including the first three meetings in this series.
OILERS-AVALANCHE: The headline act for the Western Conference final: Connor McDavid against Nathan MacKinnon.
This is a series sure to generate lots of end-to-end, fast-paced, goal-scoring entertainment as McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers meet MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche starting Tuesday night in Game 1.
Led by two of the top players in hockey, the Oilers and Avalanche are the two highest scoring teams in the playoffs, both averaging more than four goals per game.
“I’m sure it’s the dream matchup that the league wanted in the West for sure,” Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson said Sunday. “Two of the best players in the league going at it. Two of the fastest players. Two of the most highly skilled guys that you can really pick out of the league. I think it’s great for hockey.”
In the regular season, the Avalanche won two of three.