While the Carolina Hurricanes are putting themselves in strong position to eventually secure home-ice advantage in the postseason, the New York Rangers appear to be a shell of the squad that won the teams’ second-round playoff series last season in six games.
The Hurricanes will attempt to extend their winning home winning streak to nine games, while the Rangers hope to avoid a fourth straight loss when the Metropolitan Division foes convene for the first time this season on Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C.
Carolina missed winning the division by three points last season, when it finished with 111. The title instead went to New York, which also won the Presidents’ Trophy after racking up a league-best 114 points.
Just more than a month into the new season, the Hurricanes own the third-most points in the league (31) and are outscoring foes 41-16 on home ice since taking a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener on Oct. 11.
Carolina has scored at least four goals in each game of its home winning streak and has hit that mark 16 times overall in 21 games this season.
The Hurricanes kept the streak alive with Monday’s 6-4 victory over the Dallas Stars. Carolina scored five goals in the third period, including a tiebreaking, power-play goal from Martin Necas with under three minutes left to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
“I already know what we have,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s just, can they grasp how we have to play every shift? I think sometimes we get a little off and try to do things differently, then all of a sudden, we get to the way we have to play… We don’t always get the result like that, but you’re giving yourself a chance. Really, a game like that, that’s what you’re hoping you get out of it.”
Sebastian Aho scored the first goal of the third-period flurry and collected three assists. Seth Jarvis scored in his first game since Nov. 9 and collected two assists, including the secondary helper on the goal by Necas.
The Hurricanes are continuing to win despite uncertainty in goal. Frederik Andersen is about a month into his recovery from knee surgery and Pyotr Kochetkov is in the concussion protocol after colliding with defenseman Sean Walker in Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Spencer Martin started in goal Monday.
The Rangers raced out to a 5-0-1 start but are just 7-7-0 since then and have lost three straight. New York ended its four-game road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday and produced another dud in a 5-2 home loss to the St. Louis Blues Monday.
Will Cuylle scored twice, but big names Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad combined for six shots on goal and were a combined minus-7 as the Rangers were outshot 44-29.
“We need to be better,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “Everybody needs to be better. It’s not good enough what we’re doing.”
Monday’s loss came after reports surfaced that general manager Chris Drury told other teams he may be willing to trade forward Chris Kreider and defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has a no-move clause to 15 teams.
Kreider on Monday missed his first game since Jan. 16, 2023, due to an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. He has nine goals in 19 games this season. Trouba was on the ice for two goals Monday and has just two points since collecting four assists in the first three games this season.
–Field Level Media