The second round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs began on Sunday afternoon, May 5th, between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers. The top two teams in the Metro Division will compete to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Going into the series, there was no difference between the two teams. The top three on special teams for both teams, in addition to the talent up and down the roster, both have the potential to be high scorers. One of the major storylines was going to be special teams. Whoever controls them in this series may have a slight advantage in winning it all. In Game 1, special teams grabbed the top storyline, resulting in the Rangers winning his 4-3, and the second round began.
1st term killer
The first period was a wild one, with four goals scored in that period. Mika Zibanejad made his presence known for the Rangers, scoring the first goal less than three minutes into the game and scoring three points (one goal, two assists). However, it didn't take long for the Hurricanes to tie the game just one minute after Zibanejad's goal thanks to a play from Lady Byng finalist Jacob Slavin. It hit the Rangers' stick and sailed past netminder Igor Shesterkin for Slavin's first playoff goal.
RELATED: Hurricanes' Jacob Slavin named Lady Byng Trophy finalist for the third time
After Slavin's goal, the Hurricanes' special teams seemed to fall apart. The special teams were a sure thing for Carolina heading into the playoffs, boasting the NHL's second-best power play (26.9%) and league-leading penalty kill (86.4%). But it was the early special teams struggles, primarily on the penalty kill, that put Carolina in a hole in the first period. Zibanejad regained the Rangers' lead just over half of the period, and Vincent Trocheck scored his third goal six minutes later. What didn't help the Hurricanes was that both of his power play goals in the first period were scored within 15 seconds of each chance. Allowing two goals right away on the penalty kill sank the Hurricanes' special teams the entire game.
After the game, head coach Rod Brind'Amour was asked about the power play goal from the Rangers and said: They made three quick passes and took a shot, but we were close. That's the difference. ” That made the difference, as the Rangers went 2-for-2 in this game. The Hurricanes' zero percent penalty kill in Game 1 wasn't ideal. When asked about it, captain Jordan Staal further said: Both (power play and penalty kill) were not good enough. ” Staal mentioned the power play, which also didn't go well in the game.
In Sunday's game, the Hurricanes were 0-for-5 on the power play. that's right. Carolina had more power play opportunities than the Rangers. During the regular season, it was rare for the Hurricanes to get more man-advantage opportunities than the teams they faced. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on that, and out of those chances he only had a total of three shots on goal, including two. It was a hole they fought to get out of throughout the game.
scratch back
However, the Hurricanes were able to close the gap several times during the game. Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis scored two goals in the third period. Necas broke away with a goal within three minutes of the final frame after receiving some great passes from Dmitri Orlov and Jordan Martinuk. Necas scored for Shesterkin, making it a one-goal game (3-2) at that point. The Rangers regained a two-goal lead within six minutes with Artemi Panarin's shot past Frederik Andersen, but overall it wasn't a bad game.
RELATED: Rangers vs. Hurricanes: 3 stories to watch in the second round
Jarvis' goal was a greasy goal fired into the front of the net in a typical fire drill battle. He was able to get the puck off his stick and into the net to make it a 4-on-3 game. This was his fourth goal in the playoffs, giving the Hurricanes the lead for the first time in six games. It happened with 1 minute and 45 seconds left in the game. However, it was too little too late, as the Rangers won 4-3 and took a 1-0 series lead.
After the game, Tony DeAngelo was asked about the game and how it should go into Game 2 on Tuesday, and said: Even in the first inning, the number of shots was 4-4 at one point. You'll hear the same thing from all of us. It's a 7 game series. I have to go to the game sooner. we found them. It was a great play by them. But if you give quickly there, they will join the crowd. Then we reacted, the penalty was killed, and boom, boom. That's just how it is in the playoffs. They have a good team but we know what we can do here and we have six games left. ”
Game 1 is definitely the game where Brind'Amour and the team need to see what went wrong, fix it, move on and be ready for Game 2. Carolina has to get off to a better start and expect their special teams to show up like that. If they can do that, they have a chance to split the first two games before returning to Raleigh for Game 3 on Thursday, May 9th.
Game 2 on Tuesday
Game 2 will take place on Tuesday, May 7th at Madison Square Garden. The time has not yet been determined, but it will be broadcast on ESPN and Sportsnet in Canada. Hopefully, the Hurricanes can build on Game 1 and play a game on Tuesday. In the beginning, it was like playing Rangers hockey and chasing them. If they return to the games that got them where they are now, a split series could resume Thursday at North Carolina.
