If the New York Rangers want to win this series, they will have to win a game in Raleigh. They might as well start tonight. It won’t be easy as the Carolina Hurricanes have won all six of their home games over two series.
The Rangers came thisclose to breaking that streak in Game One of this series and they are well aware of how they just missed winning that game.
It’s hard to figure out why the Hurricanes have been unbeatable at home. Rod Brind’Amour likes to match lines and he will be pitting the Staal line against Mika Ziabanejad, something that Gerard Gallant doesn’t care that much about. He said that he won’t be trying to avoid that match up, he will take whatever comes.
Projected lineups
It should be the same lineup for the Rangers that went in Game Four.
NEW YORK RANGERS
20 Kreider – 93 Zibanejad – 77 Vatrano
10 Panarin – 16 Strome – 18 Copp
13 Lafreniere -72 Chytil – 64 Motte
24 Kakko – 17 Rooney – 75 Reaves
55 Lindgren – 23 Fox
79 Miller – 8 Trouba
61 Braun – 54 Schneider
31 Shesterkin
40 Georgiev
CAROLINA HURRICANES
86 Teuvo Teravainen- 20 Sebastian Aho – 24 Seth Jarvis
37 Andrei Svechnikov – 16 Vincent Trocheck – 88 Martin Necas
21 Nino Niederreiter – 11 Jordan Staal – 71 Jesper Fast
48 Jordan Martinook – 82 Jesperi Kotkaniemi – 13 Max Domi
74 Jaccob Slavin – 77 Tony DeAngelo
76 Brady Skjei – 22 Brett Pesce
7 Brendan Smith – 28 Ian Cole
32 Antti Raanta
52 Pyotr Kochetkov
Jordan Martinook is expected to play for the first time in nine games. He’s high energy forward on the fourth line for the Hurricanes.
How to watch and the live conversation
Game start time is 7pm EST and it will be televised on ESPN with the livestream on ESPN+. The start time for Game Six on Saturday has not been announced. The only thing we know is the game will be on ESPN.
MSG Network will be providing pre-game coverage beginning at 630pm EST and will have live postgame coverage. ESPN will be televising the Calgary Edmonton with an 930pm EST start time so they will dump out of Rangers coverage pretty quickly.
Blue Line Station’s live conversation is active now and you can join in and talk about the game with your fellow Ranger fans. Can the Rangers win their third in a row for the second straight series?