Ride red-hot Rangers after perfect road trip
The Rangers return to Manhattan after leaving the Pacific Northwest ablaze with a five-game road sweep — the first time they have done so in franchise history.
You’re probably thinking that implies they trounced the opposition by filling the net, but all five games were textbook defensively sound hockey. That’s the most glaring effect that Peter Laviolette has implemented from the get-go in the Rangers’ 7-2 start.
They now sit atop the Metropolitan Division for Thursday’s puck drop against the Hurricanes, who are two points in the rearview mirror. Carolina hit a three-game speed bump with some uncharacteristic barnburners, but it responded with three straight wins to climb back above .500 and to an even goal differential.
Speaking of defense, the Hurricanes have limited opposing shooters to 26.1 shots per game, which leads the NHL. The Rangers are a hair beneath them at 26.2.
Neither club has been exactly potent in the high-danger scoring department as both
New York and Carolina dwell in the bottom third. So five-on-five could make for the usual stalemate recipe between these two. But where the Rangers’ offense has shined the most is on its revived powerplay unit. They have scored on 34.4 percent of their power-play opportunities, which ranks at second in hockey. This large in part to Chris Kreider’s exceptional net-front tipping acumen, which he has used to cash in four times with the man-advantage — the most amongst any player.
Then there are Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin, who are both perched as top-five players in power-play points with nine and eight, respectively. So the first Rangers unit should give a struggling Carolina penalty-killing effort (75 percent) a run for its money.
The Hurricanes are dead last in save percentage and have allowed the secondmost goals. That’s been the defining contrast between them and the Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick have combined to boost New York to a top-three team in both goals against (2.00) and save percentage (.924).
The Canes are an excellent shooting team with a leading shot attempt differential at five-on-five, but Shesterkin is renowned for playing his best hockey when shooters keep him busy.
I’d love to lean toward the Under in this game, but the Hurricanes’ leaky goaltending and deficient special teams makes me skeptical. The Rangers are just the hotter team right now.
THE PLAY: Rangers moneyline (-120) Sean Treppedi handicaps hockey for Action Network.