In the blink of an eye, the New York Rangers have been given another chance to take down the Carolina Hurricanes in their second-round tilt. The series has provided quality hockey, with every game decided by one goal. Monday should be no different, with New York given a chance to clinch the series on home ice and earn themselves a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years. There’s still plenty possibly left in the Rangers vs Hurricanes series.
After Saturday, the Hurricanes will have something to say about that. Unfortunately, Rod Brind’Amour‘s squad is playing quality hockey, yet they are still on the verge of elimination. All four games have been must-watch television, with Monday’s matchup trying to live up to the standards set in the first four games. Now, the tide turns back towards New York City and Madison Square Garden. Blueshirts fans will be slightly on edge, looking for the series clincher. Echoes of The Who’s Baba O’Riley will ring out through The World’s Most Famous Arena. John Brancy will belt out another splendid rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. The puck will drop at centre ice. Game Five cannot come soon enough.
Clearly, both the Rangers and Hurricanes do not disappoint in the special team’s department. Carolina ended the regular season with the second-best powerplay in the NHL. Right behind them were the Rangers, finishing in the third spot. On the other side of the puck, New York has the most dominant penalty-kill unit in the playoffs. Evidently, their 91.18 percent leads the eight remaining teams battling for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The problem with that is New York is having a difficult time staying out of the penalty box. In the first four games, New York has taken 23 penalties (including offsetting penalties). That is an absurd amount considering that a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals is on the line. As a team, you do not want to give your opponents a chance to both capitalize on and control the series from the man advantage. We’ve been guilty of calling out players like Adam Fox, Matt Rempe, Vincent Trocheck, and Jacob Trouba for taking silly penalties that have cost New York some games in the regular season. As you can see, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal.
Turn the record over and you will see a team who finally took their chance and found themselves in the win column. A Brady Skjei power play-goal was the deciding factor in Carolina’s 4-3 Game 4 victory over the surging Blueshirts. The way that the series was going, Carolina was due for a win. No one could have predicted the Rangers going 8-0 to start their playoff run. Facing adversity for the first time in about a month, how will New York respond?
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