Posted yesterday at 6:59 p.m.
(New York) After two tough road losses that left them with another playoff deficit, the New York Rangers bounced back again with a big win at home.
Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist, Igor Shesterkin stopped 43 shots and the Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Sunday in Game 3 of their second-round series.
“It was a close battle again,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. Igor was exceptional for us, and that was the key. […] We did well defensively and the guys did the right thing with the puck. »
Chris Kreider and Tyler Motte also scored as Rangers cut their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Game 4 is Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s a great environment. […] there’s so much energy throughout the game,” Kreider said. It’s easy to feed off the energy of the crowd. »
It was just the second victory for Rangers against the Canes in the last 10 meetings between the two teams, a streak that dates back to the qualifying round of the 2020 playoffs in the Toronto bubble. The Hurricanes have swept this series three of five and won three of four in the regular season.
The Rangers, who erased a 3-1 first-round deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins, improved their record to 4-1 at home. They earned a well-deserved win over the Hurricanes after losing 2-1 in overtime in Game 1 and 2-0 in Game 2.
“I liked the way we fought in those two games in Carolina,” Gallant said. We felt like we were going to win the game. Our keeper was outstanding in the first half of the game and made some big saves for us. I think we played well enough to win. »
Nino Niederreiter scored for the Canes and Antti Raanta finished the encounter with 30 saves. The Hurricanes, 6-0 at home, are 0-4 on the road since the start of the playoffs.
“We definitely had our chances of winning the game,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. We just weren’t able to get the puck in the net. »
The Hurricanes were shut out in three power plays and are now 0 for 7 in the series. Rangers got one goal in two superiorities and are now 1 for 7.
“We have to find a way to score when we have the chance,” Niederreiter said. Our shorthandedness is, for the most part, formidable. We just can’t find a way to get a power play goal. »
Shesterkin made 17 saves in the first period, 17 in the second and nine in the third.
“They were really trying to shoot from everywhere,” Shesterkin said through an interpreter. But none of these shots were really dangerous. »