Hurricanes 3 – Rangers 4 (2nd P) | It takes very special units

Let’s face it, the Carolina Hurricanes are in a bit of trouble.

With a 3-2 lead in Tuesday night’s game, the second of their series against the New York Rangers, they were in a good position to make it 1-1 in the series, and return home with their heads full of hope.

But no.

But no because it was the Rangers who ended up winning it, 4-3, thanks to a goal from Vincent Trocheck in the second overtime period.

This is the same guy, incidentally, who once played for the Carolina club, and who played quite a bit Tuesday night in Manhattan, with a total of 35 minutes and 21 seconds of playing time, a record among players from both teams.

There were several good performances in the Rangers camp Tuesday night besides Trocheck. Alexis Lafrenière added two goals, and goalie Igor Shesterkin was in a state of grace with 54 saves.

But if the Hurricanes are there, it’s also because their power play isn’t going very well. With a one-man advantage in the first game, they finished the night 0 for 5, and in this second game it was another 0 for 5 in this situation.

We can probably point out in passing that this is perhaps also explained by the Rangers’ superb shorthanded play, but still: if the Hurricanes want to advance, they cannot let so many opportunities slip away, among others during of overtime, where they were entitled to two numerical advantages without ever being able to close the books.

By the way, how did Trocheck score his huge goal? While the Rangers were on the power play. In the third period, Chris Kreider managed to make it 3-3 while the Blue Shirts also played with an extra player.

This is further proof that it doesn’t just take special teams to win in this league. It also takes very special units, and this series is being played out there, exactly there, in this aspect of the game.

For the Carolina guys, it’s not over yet, of course. Glass half full: they lost the first two games of this series by the same score, 4-3. Our distant mathematics lessons remind us that it is a difference of only one goal each time, which is far from dramatic, hockey being a game of “inches”, as the greatest thinkers have affirmed since the time of the six clubs, and even before. A more favorable jump here, a puck that rolls a little better there, and it’s the Hurricanes who could have that 2-0 lead in the series.

But the reality is that it is the Rangers who have this very good lead, in addition to having a goalkeeper who, without having been vastly superior to his opposite number – Frederik Andersen made 35 saves on Tuesday evening, often big ones -, still has the appearance of an intimidating goalkeeper who will not be defeated so easily.

The Hurricanes will have to find themselves, quickly, and above all, they will have to remember how to score goals at five against four.