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Rangers vs Hurricanes: Carolina Pushes Rangers to Brink of Elimination

The New York Rangers dropped Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, and the Carolina Hurricanes have pushed them to the brink of elimination. New York had a much better start this game, and scored a power play goal to tie the game midway through the first period. However, past that point, Carolina settled into their structure and smothered any attack the Rangers threw at them for the remainder of the game.

1st Period

Andrei Svechnikov (1) - Sebastian Aho (2) & Sami Vatanen (2) - 4:32 1st Period

Carolina was able to jump out to an early lead in this game as Andrei Svechnikov picked up his first goal of the tournament. The Rangers were lackadaisical in their coverage, and Svechnikov slipped between three players and shoveled a shot on net. Unfortunately, the shot gave Henrik Lundqvist some trouble and rolled over the goal line after it slipped between his right arm.

Artemi Panarin (1) PPG - Ryan Strome (1) & Tony DeAngelo (1) - 12:05 1st Period

Just past the halfway mark of the first period, the Rangers gave themselves some life with a power play goal from Artemi Panarin. New York finally had some sustained pressure with the man-advantage, and after some quick puck movement, they tied the game up at 1-1. Ryan Strome setup Artemi Panarin with a beautiful pass through the slot, and the Breadman sniped home the chance from a tough angle.

2nd Period

Andrei Svechnikov (2) PPG - Sami Vatanen (3) & Sebastian Aho (3) - 1:11 2nd Period

Some early penalty trouble by the Rangers sent Carolina to the power play, and it didn’t take long for their top players to take advantage. Right off of the faceoff win, Sami Vatanen tapped the puck over to Andrei Svechnikov for a heavy one-timer. The shot came in on net so quick that Lundqvist didn’t have enough time to adjust, and the puck sailed over his shoulder.

Jordan Martinook (1) - Morgan Geekie (1) & Brock McGinn (1) - 2:22 2nd Period

A little over a minute later, Carolina stunned the Rangers with another quick surge and doubled up their lead at the 2:22 mark. Following some hard work in the corner by Carolina, the puck took a bounce out in front of the net, and the Hurricanes pounced on the loose puck. Jordan Martinook was right on the doorstep as the puck slid across, and he tapped home his first goal to give Carolina a commanding 3-1 lead.

3rd Period

Andrei Svechnikov (3) - Sebastian Aho (4) - 14:02 3rd Period

With six minutes remaining in the game, Carolina delivered one final death blow to the Rangers as Andrei Svechnikov completed the hat trick. Another turnover through the neutral zone created a rush the other way for Carolina, and Sebastian Aho made an excellent pass to Svechnikov for his third of the game.

In terms of execution, the Rangers had a much better game compared to Saturday, but their offense just couldn’t get going once again. Credit to Carolina though, as they kept the Rangers in check and countered their attacks perfectly. The Rangers find themselves down 2-0 in the series with Game 3 upcoming tomorrow night after a short layoff.

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