INSIDE THE MATCHUPS
The Rangers are on to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017. Their opponent, the Hurricanes, is back here for a second straight season and the third time in the last four years. There’s no doubt the Rangers are the underdogs, but this is a team that made NHL history in Round 1 by recording three consecutive comeback wins in elimination games within the same series.
Never count the Blueshirts out. However, Carolina has proven to be a hurdle the Rangers have yet to be able to clear. Dating back to the 2020 bubble, where the Hurricanes swept them in the qualifying round in three games, the Rangers have only won once in their last seven meetings. That one victory came on March 20, when backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev stole the show with a 44-save performance in a 2-0 shutout.
“We know it’s a challenge,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “Carolina is a real good hockey team. They went through a tough series, too. They played Boston for seven games, so I think both teams are on even keel. We’re going to take it one game at a time and go from there. But we feel good about our chances.”
The Post’s Mollie Walker takes a look at how the teams match up:
GOALTENDING
The Hurricanes’ No. 1 goalie, Frederik Andersen, has been battling a lowerbody injury since the end of the regular season and didn’t play in their firstround matchup with the Bruins. Former Blueshirt Antti Raanta has primarily been Carolina’s starting netminder. A journeyman who spent two seasons in New York, Raanta has decent playoff numbers for the sample size that it is (11 games, 3-3 record, 2.74 goals-against average and .908 save percentage),
but the Rangers still take this category easily.
Andersen was one of the few NHL goalies who kept up with the Rangers’
Igor Shesterkin this season. Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said there wouldn’t be any more updates on Andersen until he practices with the team.
Shesterkin got his first taste of playoff hockey on the road in Round 1 and he steadily improved away from home as the series progressed. His 39 saves and .929 save percentage in the Rangers’ Game 7 win against the Penguins proved he can rise to the occasion.
DEFENSE
The Rangers and Hurricanes both had the two lowest goals-against averages and goals-against totals during the regular season, with Carolina holding a slight edge at 2.44 and 200, respectively, compared to the Rangers’ 2.49 and 204. The Hurricanes also finished with the lowest shotsagainst average in the NHL at 28.2 per game, while the Rangers had the third highest at 30.8.
This is a testament to how the
Hurricanes seemingly always have the puck, which naturally allows them to play less defense. The Hurricanes’ top two defensemen, Jaccob Slavin and former Ranger Tony DeAngelo, lead the team with eight points each in the playoffs.
Brett Pesce and former Ranger Brady Skjei have also had impactful seasons. The Rangers have gotten some production from their defensemen as well. Adam Fox is second on the team in points with 10, while K’Andre Miller and
Jacob Trouba have chipped in a couple of goals as well, in addition to drawing the top opponent matchups.
FORWARDS
The Rangers are trading in a tough matchup with the Penguins’ top line of Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust for one that is just as difficult in the Hurricanes’
Andrei Svechnikov-Sebastian Aho-Seth
Jarvis. However, this Hurricanes team can get offensive contributions up and down its lineup. It’s a group that averaged 3.38 goals per game during the regular season.
Carolina’s one-two punch down the middle in Aho and Vincent Trocheck is
a handful. There’s another one on the left wing, too, in Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen. These skaters can push the pace and know how to tilt the ice.
The Rangers’ Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Frank Vatrano will be preoccupied defensively, again. But it wasn’t until that top line got hot — which was partially due to Crosby missing part of Game 5 and all of Game 6 — that the Rangers were able to separate themselves from the Penguins. The middle six, especially Artemi Panarin, Andrew Copp and Alexis Lafreniere, will have to contribute even more on offense than they did in the previous series.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Rangers have gotten a lot out of their special teams this postseason.
Every power play and every penalty kill seemingly gives the team a boost and provides scoring chances, with the man-advantage and while shorthanded.
With Tyler Motte and Ryan Lindgren back in the fold, the Rangers’ PK is in its best form. The power play wasn’t as effective in Round
1 as it was in the regular season, but it still generated tremendous offensive-zone time and goals in big moments.
COACHING
Brind’Amour has been with the Hurricanes for the past 11 seasons, the first seven as an assistant before he took over as head coach in 2018-19. In addition to having a pulse on his team and knowing what makes it go, Brind’Amour has coached in the playoffs each season since he became the bench boss in Carolina.
Gallant has played a major role in pulling the best out of this Rangers team this season, there’s no debating that. His style and approach empowers his players, but every decision and matchup choice is amplified in the playoffs.