It’s 2nd place for the Rangers as they lose 4-3 to Carolina

The New York Rangers came into their game with the Carolina Hurricanes with two goals.  They were playing to stay in the hunt for the top spot and to also stay healthy for the playoffs.  They did neither.  The Canes clinched first place, beating the Rangers 4-3 in a game that was not as close as the score.

The final score really didn’t matter as the likelihood that the Blueshirts were going to pass the Hurricanes were slim.  What did matter was that both Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp left the game in the second period with injuries.  The team announced it was a lower body injury for Copp and an upper body injury for Panarin.

Panarin left the game first, 4:52 into the period after playing 1:25 of a power play.  Again, there was no evidence of any injury while he was on the ice.

Copp left the ice 7:37 into the second period right after blocking a Brett Pesce shot.  He didn’t look like he was in pain so it’s possible he aggravated the lower body injury that kept him out of the game on Saturday.

The good news is that after the game, Gerard Gallant said that both Panarin and Copp could have returned if it was a playoff game.

“They should be fine, being cautious.  They told me between periods do you need them back and I said no, I need them next week…If it was next week, one of those games, both of them would have been back.”

When Panarin left the game was scoreless and he had had some dazzling shifts in the first period.

Copp left right after Vincent Trocheck scored to break the scoreless tie.  Losing those two players definitely impacted the final score.

The Hurricanes looked like a team with something to play for and after they took the lead they continued to play hard and take the body.  It felt like they were trying to send a message to the team that they may face in the second round of the playoffs.

While the game looked out of reach when the score was 4-1 in the third period, the team didn’t give up and got close on goals by Jacob Trouba and with Shesterkin pulled, by Alexis Lafrenière. It was a nice comeback and the fact that they were able to do it without their most gifted forwards reflects well on the team.

Gallant admitted that with second place locked down, it will affect how he deploys his players over the last two games. That means many of the regulars will sit out at least one of the next two games.  While the Montreal Canadiens are playing out the string, the Washington Capitals may be playing for third place on Friday.

Henrik Lundqvist had some interesting observations after the game when asked if Shesterkin should play one more game, saying that when he played, he would have preferred to sit out the last two games if the Rangers were going to field half a lineup.

There’s no doubt we will see Alexandar Georgiev against Montreal along with a healthy dose of Gauthier, McKegg et al.

Gallant was asked to reflect on the season. “We’re happy with our team. Things are going well for us.  We had a good season, Now the big test is gonna be next week. Looking forward to it.  I know we have a team that can play with anybody when we play our game.”

Notes on the game

With two games left in the season the Rangers record is 51-23-6 and the Rangers have clinched second place in the Metropolitan Division. It’s their best finish since they were first in 2014-15.

The Rangers still don’t know who they will play in the playoffs.  Pittsburgh remains in third place with Washington one point behind them. If the Penguins win their one remaining game, the Caps will have to win both of their remaining games.  If the Penguins lose, Washington will need to win one of their last two.

The Hurricanes won the season series 3-1. It was the first time that Carolina won the season series since 2005-06.

This was a meeting of the top two defensive teams in the NHL. They came into the game with both teams allowing 194 games, though the Rangers had played one fewer game.  After the game the Hurricanes have allowed a league best 2.43 goals per game while the Rangers are second, allowing 2.48.

The Rangers power play failed on all three attempts. Artemi Panarin skated on all three so that can’t be an excuse.  They have dropped to fourth overall with a 25.8% success rate.

The penalty kill stopped all three Carolina power plays and is t 82.2% for the season. They have allowed only one power play goal in the last 12 games, killed 26 of their last 27 penalties.

Chris Kreider deservedly won the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award.  It was the first time for Kreider to win the award as voted by the fans.

Kreider called it “the greatest honor of his hockey career.”

Kreider scored his 52nd goal of the season, tying him with Adam Graves for the second most in franchise history.  He needs two more to tie Jaromir Jagr’s franchise record.

Igor Shesterkin is still a lock to lead the league with the lowest goals against average (2.07) and the best save percentage (.935).  His record is 36-13-4. The last Ranger goalie to win more than 36 games was Henrik Lundqvist with 39 in 2011-12, the year he won the Vezina Trophy.

Adam Fox got his 62nd assist of the season, moving into a tie for second among defensemen with Victor Hedman.  It’s the fifth most for a Ranger defenseman in franchise history.

Alexis Lafrenière scored his 30th career goal and 18th this season.  He is second on the team in even strength goals this season and second over the last two seasons. He is still looking for his first power play goal.

My 3 Rangers stars

Alexis Lafrenière

is getting more and more confident and his third period goal showed off his skill. He doesn’t miss on shots like that unlike many of his teammates.  He also made a fantastic move to the net in the third period, but was stopped by the Canes’ netminder.

He was second on the team with four shots.

The official 3 stars

1. Vincent Trocheck – Hurricanes
2. Chris Kreider – Rangers
3. Brady Skjei – Hurricanes

What’s next

It’s the penultimate game for the Blueshirts as they host the Montreal Canadiens in the second game of a back-to-back.   Gametime is 7:30pm. It will be a return to the Garden for Martin St. Louis who is the interim coach for the Canadiens.

The final game of the season is Friday night against the Capitals.  Hopefully, the Rangers will have the common sense to rest their regulars so that they are healthy for the playoffs.  You can be sure that Panarin and Copp won’t be in the lineup and the word is that Kaapo Kakko will make his return.  The only regular with a target to achieve is Chris Kreider and it’s likely we will see him both remaining games. When asked about that after the game, he said that he’s a hockey player and when they tell him to play, he plays.