The Carolina Hurricanes finally scored on the power play and it was enough to extend their second round playoff series against the guards.
Former archer Brady Skjei scored with 3:11 left Saturday night to give the Canes a 4-3 victory over the Rangers and force a Game 5 against the Blueshirts at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.
The loss was the Rangers’ first in these playoffs, after seven consecutive victories. The Rangers still lead the best-of-seven series, three games to one.
Here are the key findings:
-The Rangers were a perfect 16-of-16 on penalties in the series against second-ranked power play Carolina, including a successful kill on Saturday night before Skjei’s goal. Overall in the playoffs, the Rangers are 31-of-34 (91.2%) on the PK. Skjei’s victory came later Ryan Lindgren was called to stumble Jordan Martinook.
-A wave Alexis Lafrenière scored his fourth goal in the last three games for the Rangers to tie the score at 3 with 17:56 left in the third period. He threw the puck behind the goal line when he saw that Frederico Andersen the left block was not stuck to the post. The puck hit the goalkeeper and went in.
-Entering Game 4, Ranger goalie Igor Shesterkin had a streak of 30 consecutive playoff games allowing three goals or fewer, dating back to Game 5 of the 2021 first round, but it ended when Skjei scored. He and his Ranger support, Jonathan Quick, are the only two goaltenders in NHL history to have such long streaks. Quick had one of 34 consecutive games from 2012-13.
-The Canes extended the series, but here’s what they face in their comeback attempt: Teams down 3-0 have only come back to win a best-of-seven series four times in NHL history. The team that takes a 3-0 lead is 205-4 overall.
-The desperate Canes circled the offensive zone throughout the first period, scoring three times on 10 shots. Just 1:51 into the game, Evgeny Kuznetsov beat Shesterkin on the stick side with a shot that hit the post and went in. It was a big goal for Kuznetsov, who was scratched in Game 2 but played in the last two games, and it came on Carolina’s second shot of the game. At the 6:33 mark, Stefan Noesen recovered and gave Carolina a 2-0 lead. It is the first time in the playoffs that the Rangers have lost by two goals in a game.
-The Rangers scored a beautiful goal Will Cuylle with 11:54 remaining in the first. Kaapo Kakko he hit two defenders with a smart pass and Cuylle skated and shot past Andersen’s glove. It was Cullye’s first career playoff goal. The Hurricanes continued to press and increased the lead to two goals again with 4:31 left in the period. Jake Guentzel held the puck at the goal line to Shesterkin’s right and fed Sebastian Aho in the slot for a timer that fit into the side of the glove.
-Rangers generated several chances in the second period and scored the only goal of the period when Barclay Goodrow shot down by Braden Schneider with 7:17 remaining, cutting Carolina’s lead to 3-2. Rangers could have scored more – both Lafreniére and Alex Wennberg hit the post. But the Canes also had opportunities, namely when Tony DeAngelo It hit the post with around 15 minutes remaining. Guentzel also had a late escape broken up by Shesterkin.
-The Canes turned to Andersen in goal after using Pyotr Kochetkov in Game 3. Kochetkov made 22 saves and allowed three goals in the overtime loss. Andersen, who started Carolina’s first seven playoff games, allowed eight goals on 62 shots in the first two games against the Rangers.
–Filip Chytil, who returned excitedly to play in Game 3 after being out since November, was a scratch for Game 4 due to illness. Jonny Brodzinski replaced him in the lineup and skated on the line with Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.
Game MVP: Brady Skjei
Skjei broke a 3-3 tie in the third period by scoring for Carolina, keeping the Canes alive in the series.
Highlights
What is the next
The Rangers return to MSG on Monday night to try to close out the series in Game 5, starting at 7 p.m.
