Carolina Hurricanes Look to Finish off The New York Rangers

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 03: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers slides on the ice looking to gain control of the puck from Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 3, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 03: Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers slides on the ice looking to gain control of the puck from Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 3, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers slides on the ice looking to gain control of the puck from Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers slides on the ice looking to gain control of the puck from Andrei Svechnikov #37 of the Carolina Hurricanes (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /

The Carolina Hurricanes prepare for game three against the Rangers

While the New York Rangers try to avoid the sweep, the Carolina Hurricanes are looking to get some rest before the next series. Here are the keys to victory and a real playoff berth.

One win. That is all it will take to send the New York Rangers on a bus home and the Carolina Hurricanes into the first round of the playoffs against one of the four round-robin teams. It almost seems like a slam dunk at this point, but before we count our chickens, let’s force the Rangers to lay another egg.

Winning games one and two were great, but the Rangers still have an opportunity to turn things around. It is a small one, but an opportunity nonetheless. We had our time over the last few days to celebrate those wins and enjoy the New York Ranger meltdown. Now is the time to refocus and finish off this team and establish clearly that they never belonged here in the first place.

The Carolina Hurricanes are going to go into this game with a bit more energy than the Rangers thanks to the conditioning and training afforded by Coach Rod Brind’amour. But to truly capture this moment in history and give the fans a night to remember, they have to utilize that energy in a way that will lead to another complete-game effort.

To do that the Canes need to replicate their success from games one and two while keeping the Rangers from adapting their play-style to counter it. Here are the keys to accomplishing just that.