Canes take 3-2 lead vs. Rangers

Vincent Trocheck buried a shorthanded goal, Teuvo Teravainen had a rare power-play score for Carolina and the host Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 3-1 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second-round playoff series.

Andrei Svechnikov also scored, beating Igor Shesterkin with a backhander on a breakaway midway through the third period as the Hurricanes protected their Game 5 lead.

It was part of yet another strong home performance for the Metropolitan Division champions, who improved to 7-0 at home in the postseason.

The Hurricanes can advance to the Eastern Conference finals to face reigning two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay by winning Game 6 in

New York on Saturday, though they are 0-5 away from PNC Arena so far despite tying for the NHL lead in regular-season road wins.

LATE WEDNESDAY

Blues 5, Avalanche 4 (OT): Tyler Bozak scored 3:38 into overtime and visiting St. Louis fended off elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, overcoming a three-goal deficit in a victory over Colorado.

It capped a remarkable comeback for St. Louis, which now trails 3-2 in the best-of-seven secondround series. Robert Thomas had two goals, including the tying tally with 56 seconds left in regulation, for a resilient

Blues team. Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Faulk also scored.

The comeback offset a hat trick from Nathan MacKinnon. Game 6 is Friday night in St. Louis.

ELSEWHERE

Capitals: Washington Capitals right winger Tom Wilson is expected to miss six to eight months after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the torn ACL in his left knee.

The team announced Wednesday that Wilson had a successful ACL replacement procedure a day earlier — four weeks after injuring the knee while trying to avoid a hit in Washington’s playoff opener against the Florida Panthers. The long rehabilitation time frame means Wilson is on track to miss at least the first month of the season, if not more.