Carolina gets defensive for 2-0 series lead
RALEIGH, N.C. — Defenseman Brendan Smith scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period, Antti Raanta had 21 saves in his first postseason shutout, and Carolina beat the New York Rangers 2-0 on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Smith’s goal off a feed from Sebastian Aho marked his first postseason goal in nine years, and it was the difference in a tightly defended game with little space to operate and even fewer traffic-free looks at the net.
Aho added a clinching empty-net score with 1.8 seconds left. Igor Shesterkin stopped 20 shots for the Rangers.
“I think if we just stick to our style, it’s eventually going to wear on teams, and we’re going to find a way to win,” Smith said.
The Hurricanes improved to 6-0 at home in the playoffs and have a 2-0 lead for the second straight round. Now they face the challenge of winning on the road for the first time in the postseason after claiming a seven-game first-round series against Boston in which no team won on the road.
They’ll get their first chance to win at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 on Sunday. And New York will try to mount another series comeback after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat Pittsburgh in a seven-game first-round series.
Carolina flirted with tallying a short-handed goal multiple times, including once when Teuvo Teravainen pinged the right post in the first period from the slot off a feed from Aho.
■ Oilers 5, Flames 3: At Calgary, Alberta, Zach Hyman scored a go-ahead short-handed goal at 10:14 of the third period for Edmonton, which overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit and tied the series 1-1.
Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists and Connor Mcdavid a goal and an assist for the Oilers to back Mike Smith, who had 37 saves and an assist.
Michael Stone, Brett Ritchie and Tyler Toffoli scored for Calgary in support of Jacob Markstrom, who stopped 35 shots.