Follow me on Twitter:
@BenShelley_20
Follow HockeyBuzz Hurricanes on Twitter:
@HB_Canes
The Carolina Hurricanes opened their second round series against the New York Rangers with a win yesterday, coming away with a 2-1 overtime victory.
The Hurricanes started slow and found themselves down early, with Filip Chytil taking a nice pass from Alexis Lafreniere and beating Antti Raanta to open the scoring only seven minutes into the game. It was far from a good period and Carolina was outshot 12-8, with Raanta having to make some great saves just to keep them in the game.
Things didn’t go a whole lot better in the second frame, with the Hurricanes managing only six shots in the period. Despite being outplayed through the first 40 minutes, however, Carolina managed to hang around, remaining down a single goal after two periods.
It was a much different effort in the final frame, with Carolina taking control. They outshot the Rangers 10-4 and Nino Niederreiter had a great chance to tie it on a breakaway, but ended up hitting the crossbar. Then a little later, Sebastian Aho came down the wing and hit a post – but right after, the Hurricanes got another chance in the zone and Seth Jarvis found Aho with a pass in front and while he stopped initially, Aho managed to bury the rebound, tying the game with just 2:22 to go.
The game continued to overtime and just over three minutes into the extra frame, Ian Cole turned and threw the puck on net, with it deflecting off Ryan Lindgren’s stick and past Shesterkin to give Carolina the win.
The Hurricanes were definitely fortunate to come away with a win in Game 1. They were outplayed through the first 40 minutes and benefitted from some key saves by Antti Raanta to keep the score close. Credit to the team for rebounding with a strong third period to eventually capitalize but realistically, they weren’t as good as they’ll need to be going forward.
Speaking of Raanta, he continues to be a key factor for the Hurricanes. He’s posted a .933 save percentage in seven games and while Frederik Andersen’s status is still unclear, Raanta has played well enough that even if Andersen was healthy to return, Carolina has to consider leaving Raanta with the net until he stumbles.
The teams will be back in action on Friday for Game 2 in Carolina.
Quiz maker
OTHER ARTICLES FROM MAY
Playoff Preview: Hurricanes vs. Bruins
Antti Raanta shines as Hurricanes beat Bruins 5-1 in Game 1
Hurricanes sign Alexander Pashin
Pyotr Kochetkov steps up for Hurricanes in Game 2 win
Special teams a deciding factor in Hurricanes' Game 3 loss to Bruins
Hurricanes get into penalty trouble, fall to Bruins in Game 4
Hurricanes pull back ahead of Bruins with Game 5 win, lead series 3-2
Hurricanes unable to close out series in Boston, lose 5-2 in Game 6
Hurricanes eliminate Bruins with Game 7 win, advance to second round
Hurricanes will face Rangers in second round of playoffs
Second Round Preview: Hurricanes vs. Rangers 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»