(New York) Mika Zibanejad had two goals and an assist, leading the New York Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night.
Zibanejad collected all his points in the first period, while the “Blue Shirts” quickly set the tone for this second round series between the two best teams in the Metropolitan section.
The Rangers, who won the Presidents’ Trophy this season, took a 1-0 lead. The second duel will take place Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden.
Vincent Trocheck, who also had an assist, and Artemi Panarin also scored for the winners. Chris Kreider participated in two goals for his team.
Igor Shesterkin didn’t necessarily have his best game, but he remained undefeated in five starts since the start of the playoffs. He finished the game with 22 saves.
PHOTO WENDELL CRUZ, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON
Mika Zibanejad (93) had two goals and an assist
Jaccob Slavin, Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis responded for the Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen gave up four times in 23 shots.
The Hurricanes were shut out on five power plays and allowed two goals on as many chances with one less player.
The two teams offered an exciting first period for the fans, but which undoubtedly gave some gray hairs to the coaches.
Zibanejad opened the scoring after less than three minutes of play. He huddled in the slot and only had to complete the staging of Jack Roslovic, who showed great patience in going around the net.
The celebrations lasted only 62 seconds. Installed at the point, Slavin took a one-timer and the puck hit the blade of Alexis Lafrenière’s stick before surprising Shesterkin.
Tony DeAngelo broke his team’s rhythm and opened the door for the Rangers when he delivered a violent check to Will Cuylle. The referees awarded him a penalty for roughness and Zibanejad doubled the New Yorkers’ lead following a nice exchange with Trocheck and Kreider.
Trocheck himself took care of making the Hurricanes pay for their indiscipline before the end of the engagement. While Evgeny Kuznetsov was sitting on the bench, he pounced on a loose puck in front of Andersen to make it 3-1.
The visitors obtained two numerical advantages in the second period, but the Rangers showed good defensive cohesion to limit the damage. They also gave very few chances at equal strength.
The Hurricanes, however, closed the gap in the third period, making things exciting. A superb zone entry allowed Necas to appear alone in front of Shesterkin and he beat the Russian with a quick shot.
The Rangers regained a two-goal lead at 8:21, thanks to Panarin. Andersen, however, would like to see his shot again, as the puck slipped between his right arm and his body.
At the end of the match, the Danish goalkeeper was on the bench when his teammates reduced the gap again, thanks to Jarvis, but the Rangers held on.