Hurricanes vs Rangers Series: This One Could Take A While
Four of Last Five Meetings Have Been Decided by One Goal
It should be no surprise that the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers are the last two remaining teams from the Metropolitan Division in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL odds might have had the New Jersey Devils listed second to win the Metropolitan Division but for months, the Rangers and Hurricanes played like the title contenders.
The road team won two of the three games during the regular season. Dating back to last season, four of the last five games between the Rangers and the Hurricanes have been decided by one goal.
The Las Vegas odds have the Hurricanes priced at -160 to win the series against the Rangers with New York coming in at +140.
When the playoffs began, the NHL championship odds had the Hurricanes and the Rangers as the teams with the best odds to win the Eastern Conference title.
According to the NHL playoff odds, the Hurricanes (+400) have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Rangers are fifth at +650 in the championship odds.
Playoff History
It is pretty hard to believe that the Rangers and Hurricanes have only met twice in the playoffs and both of those showdowns happened in the last five seasons.
With a slightly different format because of the global pandemic, Carolina won 3-0 against the Rangers in 2020.
In 2022, after the Rangers topped the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games and Carolina took out Boston in seven, the teams met in the second round.
Four goals or fewer were scored in four of the first five games in the series before the Rangers topped Carolina 5-2 in Game 6 and 6-2 in Game 7 to advance.
How the Hurricanes Got Here
After finishing second in the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes drew the New York Islanders in the opening round.
The Islanders got late empty-net goals to win Games 1 and 2 by two. Defensemen Brett Burns and Dmitry Orlov scored in a 3-2 road win in Game 3.
The Islanders avoided the sweep on an overtime goal by Mathew Barzal in Game 4.
Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists as Carolina finished off the Islanders with a 6-3 win in Game 5.
How the Rangers Got Here
The Rangers opened the season 8-2 after beating the Hurricanes, and finished with the most points in the NHL.
The first-round series was dominated by the Rangers with New York outscoring the Washington Capitals 15-7.
The Rangers are now 32-11 at home. Only Colorado has more home wins.
With the NHL-best 114 points, the Rangers will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.
Players to Watch
Carolina is led by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. However, Seth Jarvis was the top point producer in the first-round series.
Five players had at least two goals in the series with the Islanders while defenseman Brady Skjei, a former Rangers player, had five assists.
Trade deadline acquisitions Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov give Carolina an embarrassment of riches up front.
New York has plenty of veteran forwards with Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Artemi Panarin.
Jack Roslovic, who was acquired from Columbus, had two goals and two assists while former No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere is another forward to keep an eye on.
Adam Fox is one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the NHL with Jacob Trouba providing a physical presence.
What About the Goalies?
Igor Shesterkin was brilliant in the opening round with a 1.75 goals-against average and a save percentage of .930 against the Capitals. He is among the top contenders according to the sportsbook odds in the Conn Smythe Trophy race.
Asked #NYR goalie Igor Shesterkin after he stopped 94 of 101 shots in the first round how good he felt about his game. His response: “I could play better.” That’s a dangerous proposition for Carolina up next and the rest of the NHL: https://t.co/63bz5l0Nns
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) May 2, 2024
Three different goalies won at least 12 games for Carolina during the regular season but it became veteran Frederik Andersen who carried the load in the first round. He stopped 125 of 137 shots against the Islanders.
The Numbers Game
Carolina is 53-27-8 as the favorite this season. The Hurricanes are 21-23 against the puck line at home. Just 34 of Carolina’s games have finished over the total.
The Rangers are 47-20-2 as the favorite. New York is 24-19 against the puck line on the road with 23 of those games going over the total.
The total has gone under in 13 of Carolina’s last 19 games.
The Hurricanes are 9-1 in their last 10 home games with the Rangers 7-1 in their last eight road games.
The total went under in five of the last seven games for the Rangers.
Questions of the Day
When is the last time that the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers have reached the Stanley Cup Final?
The Rangers lost to the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final. Carolina topped Edmonton in seven games to win the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Who led the Hurricanes and the Rangers in points in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Seth Jarvis had three goals and four assists for Carolina. Mika Zibanejad led the Rangers with six assists and seven points.
