Current:Home > ScamsArtemi Panarin, Alexis Lafrenière fuel Rangers' comeback in Game 3 win vs. Hurricanes -FutureProof Finance
Artemi Panarin, Alexis Lafrenière fuel Rangers' comeback in Game 3 win vs. Hurricanes
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:46:26
RALEIGH, N.C. - There’s something special happening with these New York Rangers.
You could make a very real case that they have been outplayed in back-to-back games by the Carolina Hurricanes, who have consistently applied pressure and won the shots-on-goal battle. But the Blueshirts are winning where it counts – on the scoreboard – with Thursday’s 3-2 overtime victory in Game 3 at PNC Arena giving them a 3-0 stranglehold in the second-round series.
This marked their second consecutive comeback victory, with Alexis Lafrenière scoring the go-ahead goal on a rush feed from Artemi Panarin with 13:35 to play – his third goal in the last two games − and Panarin finishing it off after Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov's late equalizer forced overtime.
Those clutch efforts helped the Rangers tie a franchise record with seven consecutive playoff wins, matching the high mark from their last championship run 30 years ago. It also handed the Canes just their fifth loss in their last 20 postseason games on home ice.
Adding to the occasion was the long-awaited return of Filip Chytil. The 24-year-old forward’s comeback following an absence of more than six months due to complications from a Nov. 2 concussion stands on its own as a feel-good story, but it’s the Blueshirts' collective resolve that has them on the precipice of their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the last three years.
They’ll have a chance to close out the series right back here on Saturday, with Game 4 puck drop set for 7 p.m. ET.
Weathering the storm
It was no surprise to see desperate Hurricanes come out with a strong push and dominate possession in the opening period.
They outshot the Rangers, 17-7, in the first 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead on Jake Guentzel's third goal in the last two games. This one came in similar fashion to his first tally in Game 2, with Carolina's prized trade-deadline addition lurking around the net and tipping a pass by Igor Shesterkin.
The Canes continued to pepper Shesterkin, living up to their reputation as one of the NHL's biggest shot volume teams, but the quantity often lacked quality. They were only credited with four high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five through two periods, according to Natural Stat Trick, with the Blueshirts' netminder swallowing up all of their long-range attempts while limiting the rebound opportunities.
More time at 5v5 likely would have benefited Carolina, but a chippy Game 3 devolved into another penalty fest. And that benefited the Rangers, as it has throughout the first few weeks of the playoffs.
New York's streak of scoring at least one power-play goal in five consecutive games came to an end, but the penalty kill made up for it. Mika Zibanejad sparked the tying goal on a second-period PK with a takeaway and a quick move to start a two-on-one rush, ending the impressive sequence by feeding Chris Kreider for the finish to make it 1-1 at the 8:30 mark.
The assist tied Zibanejad for most points (12) in franchise history through seven playoff games while giving the Rangers their third shorthanded goal of the postseason. They went 5-for-5 on the PK for third consecutive game and have killed 23 in a row overall. Their overall success rate in these playoffs is 93.8% (30-for-32), as they continue to dominate the ever-important special teams' battle.
Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.
veryGood! (64554)
Related
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Singer Jesse Malin paralyzed from the waist down after suffering rare spinal cord stroke
- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Look-Alike Son Joseph Baena Breaks Down His Fitness Routine in Shirtless Workout
- Trump’s EPA Fast-Tracks a Controversial Rule That Would Restrict the Use of Health Science
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Iowa Supreme Court declines to reinstate law banning most abortions
- Heartland Launches Website of Contrarian Climate Science Amid Struggles With Funding and Controversy
- Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix Addresses Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Breakup Rumors
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Standing Rock’s Pipeline Fight Brought Hope, Then More Misery
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Teens with severe obesity turn to surgery and new weight loss drugs, despite controversy
- Infant found dead inside garbage truck in Ohio
- Fracking Ban About to Become Law in Maryland
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look
- Michigan bans hairstyle discrimination in workplaces and schools
- Activist Judy Heumann led a reimagining of what it means to be disabled
Recommendation
Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
The Truth About the Future of The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Biden to name former North Carolina health official Mandy Cohen as new CDC director
This $35 2-Piece Set From Amazon Will Become a Staple in Your Wardrobe
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
They could lose the house — to Medicaid
Amid Doubts, Turkey Powers Ahead with Hydrogen Technologies
Emma Heming Willis Wants to Talk About Brain Health