The Rangers passed their biggest test of the season thus far.
In a rivalry matchup that jeopardized their lone hold on the Metropolitan Division point lead, the Blueshirts defied all the odds and elements that were stacked against them to pull out a 2-1 win over the mighty Hurricanes on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Carolina was always going to be the Rangers’ toughest competition of the season thus far, but matters were only made worse when they came into the third period, tied 1-1, down a defenseman and a forward.
Adam Fox exited in the first period with a lower-body injury he sustained on an offensive-zone collision with Carolina forward Sebastian Aho and Filip Chytil made his way to the locker room at some point in the second with an upper-body injury.
As a result, the lineup was jumbled from there after enjoying some rare continuity the past few weeks.
The Rangers, however, created their own luck and continued their recent trend of finding ways to win.
Just over halfway through the final frame, from deep in the corner, Rangers captain Jacob Trouba fed Will Cuylle crashing the net for the go-ahead goal.
Cuylle’s second goal of the season extended the Rangers’ win streak to six games.
The Rangers were simply not set up for success from the start.
Not only was Thursday night their first game back at home after a taxing 12-day road trip, but it was the fourth time zone the Rangers played in over the past 13 days.
Heavy legs were to be expected, but facing a hard-nosed team like the Hurricanes only made the night even more difficult.
Still, between Igor Shesterkin’s stellar play in goal with 27 saves and the airtight defensive system, the Rangers didn’t give up much during five-on-five play.
That being said, they didn’t generate much at five-on-five themselves, either, as has been a focal point for the Rangers lately.
The Rangers have been able to rely heavily on their power play, but it just wasn’t fluid Thursday night.
They finished with five power-play opportunities — and probably could’ve had more due to a few missed high-sticking calls on the Hurricanes — but could only capitalize on one.
Both teams traded power-play goals in a first period that saw the visiting team fail to register a shot on goal until the 9:05 mark.
Carolina was undisciplined early on and took three penalties in comparison to the Rangers’ one, which was their third too many men on the ice infraction of the season.
The Rangers’ power play continued its hot streak with a goal from their leading scorer, Chris Kreider, who tapped in a heads-up backhanded feed from Artemi Panarin.
Kreider’s seventh goal of the season tied the longest-tenured Ranger with Andy Bathgate for the fourth-most goals in Rangers history.
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