It was a Sunday matinee on Broadway as the Carolina Hurricanes traveled to New York City to battle the Rangers. The Canes left the nation's capital on Friday night with a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals despite playing a solid game. They were hoping to get back on track and pick up their third win in four games against the struggling Rangers.
With both teams playing the first half of a back-to-back, they turned to their starting goalies to earn two points. Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net for Friday night's loss, with the soft goal he allowed in the second period looked at as a decisive point in the contest. Igor Shesterkin made 41 stops on Friday in Dallas to help the Rangers earn just their fourth win in 15 games.
If you're like me, the Hurricanes' start was concerning. It took the Rangers 17 seconds to get their first shot of the game past Kochetkov. Chad Ruhwedel found a streaking Jimmy Vesey as he crashed the net to redirect the pass into the net to get the arena buzzing. Little did we know that it was the only goal New York would get against Kochetkov on Sunday.
The first period eventually saw the Canes take a slight advantage, but the score remained 1-0 after 20 minutes. The second period was almost all Carolina, aided by several power-play opportunities. While the Hurricanes didn't score after a delay of game penalty, they finally broke through nine seconds after it ended.
The Staal trio had been broken up for the game, but they were on the ice for the bump-up shift. Carrier won a battle in the crease and potted the rebound before the halfway point of the game. With the secondary helper on the goal, Jordan Staal picked up his 400th career assist. Most importantly, it got the Canes back into the fight.
Jack Roslovic drew a four-minute high stick from Alexis Lafreniere shortly after the goal, giving the Canes' power play another extended look. They took nearly every second and it was the man who drew the penalty who got it done. Dmitry Orlov made an incredible pass to Roslovic as Shesterkin tried to poke the puck away. The goalie missed, allowing the pass to find Roslovic for the tap-in. The Rangers made a late push, but Kochetkov didn't give up anything as the Canes maintained their 2-1 lead.
The penalty kill put together two big stops to begin the third period. Kochetkov did have to make a stop or two on high-danger chances to squash their hope of tying the contest. Give credit to the entire team for digging in and withstanding the Rangers' push because they were relentless. Sebastian Aho put the game away, getting the empty-netter with 1:42 left. The Rangers earned a late-game power play, but couldn't do anything with it, allowing the Canes to get out of New York with a 3-1 victory.
This was about as good of a goalie battle as you're going to see. Igor Shesterkin was doing everything he could to give his team a chance to find the tying goal. He made a ton of great saves as the Hurricanes pushed in the second period, the best of which came against Aho at the backdoor late. He also got a little help from the iron as the Canes hit at least three posts in the second.
While Shesterkin was good, Pyotr Kochetkov was better. He allowed the goal 17 seconds in, which was more a symptom of a poor start from the five in front of him. After that, he was a brick wall. It's not like he had an easy game despite just 22 stops. Most of the Rangers' chances were dangerous. Kochetkov was moving from post to post very well, reading passes to put himself in a position to make the tough stops. Kochetkov also made history, becoming the second goalie in franchise history,
and the first since relocation, to post a multi-point game.
Coming into the contest, the big battle to watch was on special teams. The Rangers owned the league's best penalty kill, while the Canes were third-best. Both teams showcased their ability to prevent the other's power play from getting much, but the final edge went to the Canes, stopping all four Rangers' power plays while scoring the only goal on special teams. It also turned out to be the game-winner.
Going into the final stop before Christmas, the Canes needed this win, especially after Friday's loss. Getting it against a division rival who also desperately needed to win in their barn makes it a little sweeter. Both teams put on a show, but it is clear that the Rangers are fighting something. It was another team effort for the Canes with the goalie turning in a superstar performance.
Up Next: The Carolina Hurricanes will fly to Nashville to finish their pre-Christmas schedule against the Predators on Monday night. They'll get a few days to enjoy time at home before a home-and-home with the Devils after the break. To close 2024, the Canes will be in Columbus for a New Year's Eve game with the Blue Jackets.