New York Rangers have second shot to punch ticket to round three in game 5
By Conor Power
After Carolina staved off elimination in game four, the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden, where the New York Rangers can win it again tonight. New York remains unbeaten at the Garden this postseason, and holding onto that record will see them into round three. Can they knock the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that went big at the deadline and added pieces they so desperately needed, out in five? Can the Rangers knock out the #3 seed in convincing fashion? We will see.
For the Rangers news ahead of tonight, there is more good news on the injury front. Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler were total participants in the morning skate, with Wheeler shedding his non-contact jersey. Neither is expected to play tonight, but the fact they could be available moving forward is a good sign for the deep run the Rangers are hopeful of embarking on this spring.
On the Carolina side of things, defenseman Brett Pesce has started skating after his lower body injury in round one against the Islanders. Still, he did not practice this morning ahead of game 5. He won't play tonight, but it could be an option if this series shifts back to Raleigh with a win by the Hurricanes tonight. Both teams are getting healthier, which is a good sign for those who want to enjoy hockey and not worry about injuries.
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 - Anthony DeAngelo
Dmitry Orlov - Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
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 - Jonny Brodzinski
Ryan Lindgren - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Erik Gustafsson - Jacob Trouba
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
This 7 p.m. puck drop from Madison Square Garden will be televised on TNT, and the entire hockey world will watch to see if the Rangers can overcome the Carolina Hurricanes and punch their ticket to round three. New York won't want to wait any longer with this than they have to. Win tonight and progress to the Eastern Conference Finals.