New York Rangers head down to PNC Arena for game three against the Carolina Hurricanes
By Conor Power
Round two of the second-round series between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will shift south to PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, as the Rangers look to continue to build upon their 2-0 series lead against the Hurricanes. After a double overtime win in game two, the Rangers will head south with more pep than their opponents. They will be looking to cement their control on the series tonight.
Carolina will be making changes to its lineup tonight. Frederik Andersen played in all eight periods, but the aging netminder needs a rest, so they are inserting young Russian phenom Pyotr Kochetkov. Kochetkov has had a solid season for the Metropolitan Division's runners-up, and the Rangers are going to face new challenges with him. An incredibly aggressive netminder, he's not afraid to get physical in confrontation and loves the poke check as a weapon. New York needs to adjust to exploit that.
New York will be riding with the same group that put them 2-0 in this series, but Carolina is altering their forward group again. According to Rod Brind'amour, Evgeny Kuznetsov will be reinserted after being a late scratch in game two to "shake things up." He's still a dangerous offensive force, even if he isn't what he once was. Again, he is a potential threat, and the Rangers need to adjust to that, which was different in game two.
Carolina is at home now, and it is a very matchup-dependent team. It will try to take Artemi Panarin out of these games by plastering Jordan Staal on the line every time it takes to the ice. This means the bottom six will have to answer the bell in Raleigh because if Carolina gets its way, the top six will become non-factors. Igor and the powerplay can supplement the efforts, but everyone needs to step up.
Projected Lineups
Carolina Hurricanes
Jake Guentzel - Sebastian Aho - Andrei Svechnikov
Teuvo Teravainen - Jordan Staal - Seth Jarvis
Jordan Martinook - Jack Drury - Martin Necas
Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Stefan Noesen
Jaccob Slavin - Brent Burns
Brady Skjei - Tony DeAngelo
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Pyotr Kochetkov
Frederik Andersen
New York Rangers
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Jack Roslovic
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Alex Wennberg - Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Matt Rempe
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Erik Gustafsson - Jacob Trouba
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
Tonight's game is a 7 p.m. puck drop from Raleigh, North Carolina, as the series shifts to PNC Arena. Carolina faces a situation where they must win to have a shot in this series. NewYork can deal a fatal blow to the Hurricanes tonight. Two of the best teams in the league are playing for the right to compete for the Eastern Conference championship.