Buckle in for a series that could quite literally come down to inches between the Hurricanes and the Rangers.
We knew this would be a rigidly contested battle between the No. 1 and No. 3 overall best records, but Game 1 was a magnification of the competition quality that made for splashes of action right from the start.
The Hurricanes never led in the Rangers’ 4-3 victory, but they were knocking on the doorstep until the waning seconds of regulation.
The Rangers’ strong start in both even strength and on the power play caught Frederik Andersen — and the majority of viewers who expected a low-scoring tilt — off guard.
Despite the final score, the game featured only 12 total high-danger scoring opportunities per Natural Stat Trick — and each team has registered 30 shots on goal in all four meetings this season.
Mika Zibanejad was perfectly situated in scoring position on all three of the Rangers’ first-period goals and you can bet Rod Brind’Amour’s group will have adjusted for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Rangers special teams were flawless, killing all five of their penalties and going two-for-two on the power play.
Carolina’s discipline was ceaseless thereafter Vincent Trocheck’s power-play strike to send the Rangers up 3-1 in the first period.
Neither Andersen nor Igor Shesterkin finished with a healthy save percentage. Artemi Panarin’s game-winning squeaker aside, six of the seven goals scored weren’t entirely on either goaltender.
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Lessons have been learned for both teams.
I expect Tuesday to stiffen back up for a classic defensive spar between these two.
THE PLAY: Rangers-Hurricanes Under 5.5 goals (-122, FanDuel)