The narrative of postseason hockey can change on a dime. Headed into the weekend, the Rangers were on their heels, needing to find a way to pull out a win at Madison Square Garden to keep their hopes of advancing to the Eastern Conference Final alive. Now all of the momentum in the series is at their backs.
Tuesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes was arguably the best 60 minutes of hockey the Rangers have played in this postseason. The power play rolled. The top three lines were above-even in expected goals percentage at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. Igor Shesterkin, as usual, stopped just about everything in his path.
Now, as the series becomes a best-of-three, the Rangers need to find a way to translate that to PNC Arena, which Carolina has turned into a fortress these playoffs, going undefeated at home (coupled with a winless mark on the road).
Here’s how the Rangers can keep it rolling: