RANGERS POWER PAST ’CANES, EVEN SERIES
The New York Rangers got the kind of strong, all-around effort from the start they needed and stormed past the Carolina Hurricanes.
Andrew Copp had a goal and two assists, and Frank Vatrano and Adam Fox each had a goal and an assist as the Rangers beat the visiting Hurricanes 4-1 in Game 4 Tuesday night, evening the second-round series.
Mika Zibanejad also scored, Ryan Lindgren had two assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 30 shots for the Rangers, who won their fifth straight at home in the postseason. In the series, New York won two at home after opening with two losses at Carolina.
“Everyone’s kind of contributing and has been over the course of the playoffs,” Copp said. “It’s not just one line, one D-pairing, it’s throughout the lineup. Just trying to build off some of the momentum we’ve created these last two games.”
The Rangers have won two straight against the Hurricanes after losing eight of the previous nine meetings, including a three-game sweep in the qualifying round of the 2020 playoff bubble and three of four in the regular season.
“We’re confident,” Copp said. “We get two games where we win, we play well, we give up two goals total. Now the reverse of the talk of you guys is on them now. We just got to kind of block all that out and stay with our game. Guys are feeling better about themselves and we got to ride this momentum into Carolina.”
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant liked what he saw from his team, calling it ‘close’ to one of the most complete games by his team this postseason.
“We had a little bit of a letdown in part of the second and little bit in the third, too,” he said. “But for the most part we did a real good job.”
Teuvo Teravainen scored and Antti Raanta finished with 24 saves for the ’Canes, who fell to 0-5 on the road in the postseason to go along with their 6-0 mark at home.
Carolina has scored just six goals in the series, including one in each of the last two games. The Hurricanes were 0 for 2 on the power play to fall to 0 for 9 against the Rangers.
“I am confident eventually they are going to find their way to the back of the net,” Carolina’s Sebastian Aho said. “We just have to find ways to score. We got to score on the power play.”
Game 5 is in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday night, and Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
Teravainen spoiled Shesterkin’s shutout bid when he scored his third of the playoffs at 6:33 of the third, pulling the Hurricanes within 3-1. However, Copp scored from the right side with just under nine minutes remaining.
There was more pushing and shoving between players in the closing seconds of the game, with the Rangers’ Ryan Reaves and Carolina’s Max Domi being separated by officials as they exchanged words.
Trailing 2-0, Carolina got its first power play midway through the second period, but couldn’t convert.
Oilers 5, Flames 3: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the game with 3:27 to play, and Evander Kane added his second goal into an empty net in the final minute to give host Edmonton a 3-1 series lead.