Carolina Hurricanes Fall to New York Rangers, Lose Second Straight

A strong all around performance from the Carolina Hurricanes was soiled by a lackluster effort from Cam Ward in route to a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

NYR PP Goal (1:09) – Mats Zuccarello (11), assisted by Derick Brassard (10)

Derick Brassard won the first faceoff of the powerplay back to Zuccarello who zips the first shot past Cam Ward. One shot against for one goal against.

NYR PP Goal (18:23) – Oscar Lindberg (9), assisted by Dan Boyle (5), Keith Yandle (11)

The Rangers score again on the powerplay, this time with great puck movement. Yandle slap passed across ice to Boyle who slap passed to Lindberg in the slot who one timed it past Ward to make the game 2-0. That makes it 2 goals against from 6 shots.

2nd Period

CAR Goal (1:40) – Jordan Staal (5), assisted by Andrej Nestrasil (2), Joakim Nordstrom (3)

Jordan Staal took a pass from Nestrasil deep in the slot and roofed it over Henrik’s blocker. Staal grabs momentum with an early 2nd period goal.

NYR Goal (2:24) – Chris Kreider (4), assisted by Jesper Fast (4)

The Rangers grab momentum back with a real flukey goal.  Kreider throws the puck towards the net from the boards at the goal line.  The puck sneaks in through Ward’s pads. That makes it 3 goals against from 7 shots.

NYR Goal (15:49) – Derick Brassard (7), assisted by Kevin Hayes (9)

Cam Ward mishandles the puck behind the net and passes straight to Kevin Hayes at the blue line.  Hayes keeps the puck in, skates in and passes to Brassard who one timed it for the goal. that makes it 4 goals against from 12 shots.

CAR Goal (17:59) – Victor Rask (8), assisted by Elias Lindholm (4), Jaccob Slavin (1)

Slavin earns his first NHL point with the goal from Victor Rasks goal. Off of the rush, Rask gets a pass left of the goal and beats Lundqvist from just above the dots.

3rd Period

CAR Goal (8:23) – Chris Terry (3), assisted by Jeff Skinner (2), Ron Hainsey (4)

Hainsey and Skinner spring Chris Terry for a breakaway.  Terry is able to make a move and slide the puck through Lunqvist 5-hole.

Summary

The Hurricanes dropped their second straight game, with a 4-3 loss to the Rangers on the road. The Hurricanes out shot the rangers 36-22, but lost in the category that matters.

More From Cardiac Cane – Carolina Hurricanes End November with Plenty of Ups and Downs

Coming into the game the Carolina Hurricanes had dropped 17 out of the last 18 games played at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers were coming off of 3 straight losses, and the Hurricanes were coming off of a 4-1 loss to the Sabres. The Rangers are also coming to terms with the loss of one of their top defensemen, Derek Stepan.

More from Cardiac Cane

• 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase: Takeaways from the Canes’ Strong Showing in Florida
• Week Two Coverage Of College Hockey In NC
• Derek Stepan Ends His On Ice Career As A Hurricane
• The Southeast Rookie Showcase Will Be a Good Look at Carolina’s Future
• Noesen Ready To Provide Depth For Canes

Cam Ward again earned a loss with an overall .818 sv% and let up 4 goals from 22 shots against.  When the 4th goal was scored Ward’s sv% was only .667.  To be able to win games, the team will have to be able to put up a sv% over .900 to win games.

A huge bright spot for the team tonight was the offense. Against one of the best goaltenders in the league they were able to come in and score 3 goals. The offense tried to overcome 4 goals against, but playing against Henrik Lundqvist, this becomes a Herculean task.

Seeing the offense scoring in a couple of different ways and not relying on one area is good to see from the team.  If they can keep up this type of scoring with the possession stats they have had all year, they will start winning games. Jordan Staal was able to get into the dirty areas for the first goal, Rask was able to score off of a rush, and Terry was able to score off of a breakaway.

Rask’s goal moves him to second place on the team with 15 points, only behind Justin Faulk with 18 points. Rask is also tied with Faulk for the lead for goals on the team with 8, although all of Faulk’s have been on the power play.

3 goals against a good defensive team is a good sign for the Hurricanes. If the offensive production can stay at this same level, the Hurricanes should be able to start winning some games. The Canes are still at the top of the league in faceoffs and one of the top possession teams.

Next: Brett Pesce Blossoming into Young Star

The Canes now look ahead to their game against the Devils on Thursday.  The Devils are coming off of a win at Montreal and will play a game Tuesday night against the Avalanche at home. Hopefully the Hurricanes can turn around their power play and goaltending at home.