The first-round series against the Capitals could’ve been a play-in round in comparison to the pace and intensity the Hurricanes brought into the second round, but the Rangers didn’t flinch.
No, the Blueshirts were braced and ready for the uptick in competition, welcoming even, of the Game 1 challenge that saw the home team bookend the game with two strong periods in a tone-setting 4-3 win over Carolina late Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.
Not a beat was missed by the Rangers, whose goalie, top six skaters and special teams all picked up right where they left off in Round 1.
“A week out from the last time we played, I thought the start was good,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought we just followed that through right through the game, I thought it was pretty consistent the way that we played.”
Mika Zibanejad led the Rangers with two goals, one on the power play and one at even strength, and an assist while Artemi Panarin netted a crucial score in the third period that stood as the game-winner.
The Rangers led 3-1 at the start of the final frame, thanks to a three-goal opening period and a scoreless second.
As was anticipated in this evenly matched series, however, the Hurricanes stayed right with them.
Less than three minutes into the final 20 of regulation, Martin Necas made it a one-goal game after taking a leading pass and beating Igor Shesterkin one-on-one.
But Panarin, working to put his previous playoff no-shows in the past, sent a shot while speeding down the wing that trickled through Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen to regain the two-goal lead.
It was a grind to the finish line from there, with the Rangers giving up a six-on-five goal to Seth Jarvis with 1:45 left in regulation, but the equalizer never came.
“We were doing a good job of locking it down, but they picked up their pace and they were taking it to us,” Braden Schneider said. “Little things that you got to make sure the small details are sharp, because they’re a team that can make you pay quickly. I thought we did a really good job throughout the game and think we did a good job in the third trying to limit them as best we could.”
Jack Roslovic, the Rangers’ last-minute trade-deadline acquisition this season, has significantly upped his game since the postseason began.
After tying Alexis Lafreniere for the third most points on the team with two goals and two assists in Round 1, Roslovic got the Rangers started in Round 2 when he aggressively drove around the Hurricanes net and dished to Zibanejad in front for the 1-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, however, Jaccob Slavin answered for the Canes with a long shot that bounced past Shesterkin.
It was a clear indicator that nothing would come easily in this series.
The Hurricanes had rung the puck off the post twice before ex-Ranger Tony DeAngelo, who was reminded what the MSG faithful think of him by the boo birds in attendance, trucked Will Cuylle over to send the Blueshirts on their first power play.
What came next was nothing short of a momentum-crushing, dominant stretch of specialty teams by the Rangers.
Every time the Rangers step onto the ice with the man-advantage, the members of the top unit look like they know they’re going to score.
Lately, whatever set play they’ve agreed on beforehand is either perfectly executed or results in a puck retrieval that allows the Rangers to set up another one.
It allowed the Rangers to post a perfect showing — 2-for-2 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill — during special teams play in the victory.
“That’s the difference,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Carolina did get too close for comfort in the third period, which will surely be a point for the club to build on in Game 2 on Tuesday.
But the Rangers took the Canes out of their usual game, limiting the visitors to well below their lowest shot attempt total in the regular season before they pulled Andersen at the end of the game.
This was the tougher, closer matchup that was expected.
Forget flinching, the Rangers didn’t blink.
