A great start
For the first 38 minutes the New York Ranger controlled the game. They set the tempo and kept the Hurricanes to the outside. They quickly moved the puck out of their own zone and countered attacked against the Hurricanes aggressive style.
This is how the Rangers should model the their game plan for the remainder of the series. They can’t expect that they will control the play as effectively, but by moving the puck forward quickly and with purpose, they can keep the ice from tilting against them as it did in the later portion of the game.
Clear, change, defend
With roughly two minutes to play in the second period, the Hurricanes elevated their game and the pressure caught up to the Rangers. For the remainder of the game the Rangers watched as the play was consistently brought to them. The Rangers went into a defensive shell and it was all they could do to try and prevent the Hurricanes from tying it up. Whether this was by design, the result of continued pressure in the defensive zone or battle fatigue, the Rangers were left to clear pucks just to get a line change, start the cycle again with the next shift of players.
In any sport, defense without offense is a bad idea. Under constant attack there will be breakdowns and those breakdowns will eventually lead to a change on the scoreboard. Sebastian Aho scoring with just over two minutes remaining was not a result of the one breakdown, but of the many during a third period in which the Rangers were shell shocked. The Rangers must once again learn that in the playoffs, no lead is safe. They must learn to continue to try and enact their game, not only to react to their opponents.
Play it again, Sam
The series may have just begun, but make no mistake, game two is a practical must win. Though it is not an elimination game the Rangers do not want to head back to New York trailing two games to none. They need to play with the same level of urgency as they had when their playoff lives were on the line. Do that and they can knot this series at one game a piece and perhaps surprise us all with yet another comeback.