The New York Rangers remain the only team in the playoffs who haven’t lost yet, starting the second round with a 2-0 record against the Carolina Hurricanes and following a double-overtime thriller at Madison Square Garden. Here’s a rundown of the game, a game that is getting a lot of attention for the late drama and how heated it got. Specifically, the Jacob Trouba attempted hit on Martin Necas.
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First Period
The Rangers struck first with a goal on their sixth shot at the 9:07 mark when Alexis Lafreniere fired high stick-side past Frederick Andersen, who had no clear sightline to the puck. However, Carolina responded quickly with a goal at 4:53, as Jake Guentzel redirected a shot from Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes took the lead with a buzzer-beater goal, with Dmitry Orlov tipping the puck past Igor Shesterkin with 5.4 seconds left in the first period, ending it 2-1 in favor of Carolina.
Kevin Bieksa pointed out during the intermission that the Hurricanes love to have their defense jump up in the play and get down low. That was evident again to start this game.
Second Period
In the second period, the game remained scoreless until the 12:28 mark, when the Rangers evened the score. A drop-pass from Artemi Panarin to Adam Fox led to a beautiful feed to Lafreniere, who scored from the side of the net. However, Carolina regained the lead, 3-2, after Aho set up Guentzel, who slid the puck under Shesterkin’s pad.
Third Period and Overtime
The third period saw the Hurricanes outshooting the Rangers, but the Rangers tied the game at 3-3 with a power-play goal at the 13:59 mark, as Chris Kreider jammed the puck past Andersen, who struggled to control it. Overtime play began with the Rangers on the power play, but they couldn’t convert.
The Hurricanes dominated the shot count, with more than 50 shots by the end of the first overtime. They couldn’t capitalize on their power play in double overtime, which gave the Rangers a chance. Finally, Vincent Trocheck, who played over 35 minutes, scored the game-winner through Andersen’s five-hole.
Overall Game Notes and the Trouba Hit
Special teams and goaltending have been crucial for the Rangers, with Shesterkin maintaining a .947 save percentage, proving to be the “X factor.” Carolina’s Guentzel has also been a standout, demonstrating why the Hurricanes acquired him from the Pittsburgh Penguins. If Carolina wants to win this series, they need to cut down on penalties and find a way to solve Shesterkin’s stellar goaltending.
One of the most talked about moments in the game came when Jacob Trouba tried to hit Martin Necas in overtime and missed, flying head-first into the boards. Many are calling it a brutal attempt to injure and some are calling for Trouba to be suspended despite the hit not connecting. Had it, Necas could have been seriously injured.
Fans and media are talking about how ridiculous the miss looked, but had he connected on the illegal check, it’s doubtful anyone would have found it funny
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