Carolina Hurricanes rally to beat New York Rangers in Game 5 to avoid elimination

NEW YORK (AP) — Trailing by a objective with 20 minutes to go and their season on the road, the Carolina Hurricanes weren’t discouraged. They knew they might flip the sport round.

Jordan Staal and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored 3:06 aside early within the third interval, and the Hurricanes acquired 4 targets within the interval for a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers in Sport 5 of the second-round playoff sequence on Monday night time, staving off elimination for the second straight sport.

“There was no panic, we understood what the state of affairs was,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amoiur mentioned. “It wasn’t like we had been lifeless. … You had been one shot away, and that is the best way they approached it.”

Jordan Martinook and Martin Necas additionally scored within the Hurricanes’ huge third interval, and Frederik Andersen — beginning for the fourth time in 5 video games on this sequence and ninth time in 10 video games within the postseason — had 20 saves.

“Nobody was undoubtedly hanging any heads,” Staal mentioned, “We knew we needed to have our greatest interval, and we did. We’ll have one other large problem going again residence in a few days. … We’re combating for our lives and the boys confirmed up and it confirmed.”

Jacob Trouba scored a short-handed objective and Igor Shesterkin stopped 24 pictures for New York, which has misplaced two straight after taking a 3-0 sequence lead.

“One sport at a time,” Rangers ahead Chris Kreider mentioned. “When you had advised me it will be 3-2 towards the second-best workforce within the league with a chance to shut it out, that’s a fairly great spot to be in. We’ll simply go down there and play higher, be extra detailed. Discover a solution to win.”

New York coach Peter Laviolette was additionally displeased with the outcome.

“Acquired a while right here earlier than the following sport, however clearly we acquired do a whole lot of issues higher,” he mentioned. “There have been a whole lot of points tonight. We’ll return and take a look at it and we’ll attempt to appropriate these points.”

Sport 6 is Thursday night time in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Hurricanes gained regardless of going 0 for 3 on the facility play to fall to 1 for 20 on this sequence whereas giving up a short-handed objective for the second time.

“We’re combating for our lives each sport,” Martinook mentioned. “We gave ourselves an opportunity to play one other sport and hopefully give ourselves an opportunity to come back again right here (for a deciding Sport 7).”

Staal tied it 1-1 at 3:33 as he acquired a cross from Dmitry Orlov, skated round one Rangers defender within the left circle, got here in on Shesterkin and beat him with a backhanded shot that went across the leg of the sprawled goalie. It was Staal’s first objective of the playoffs.

“Simply an unimaginable play by him,” Martinook mentioned. “He was unimaginable tonight. Everyone jumped on his again. He led us for certain.”

Kuznetsov then gave the Hurricanes the lead as he knocked within the rebound of Brady Skjei’s shot from the precise aspect for his fourth of the postseason.

Martinook made it 3-1 simply earlier than the midpoint of the interval. Necas despatched a centering cross from the top boards, and the puck went off Jack Drury’s stick with Martinook, and he rapidly despatched a shot that beat Shesterkin.

“He acquired a bit of piece of it and calmed it down, so I assume I acquired to thank him,” Martinook mentioned with a smile.

The Rangers pulled Shesterkin for an additional skater with 3:44 to go, however Necas despatched an extended shot that went into the empty web 15 seconds later.

The Rangers acquired an influence play when Orlov was known as for roughing at 3:47 of the second interval. Shortly after the penalty expired, New York’s Jack Roslovic was whistled for tripping, placing Carolina’s struggling energy play on the benefit. Nevertheless, it was the Rangers who broke by way of.

Trouba blocked a shot by Sebastian Aho, skated up the ice on 2-on-1 rush and fired a shot from the precise circle that beat Andersen at 6:23. It was his first objective of the playoffs and the Rangers’ fourth short-handed tally.

The Hurricanes acquired one other energy play on the midpoint of the interval, however did not get a shot on objective throughout the benefit. Shesterkin then denied Drury’s point-blank strive with 6 minutes to go within the second.

Carolina had a 10-9 benefit on pictures on objective in a scoreless and fast-paced first interval. Each groups had probabilities and the goalies needed to make a number of good saves.

Rangers rookie sensation Matt Rempe was again within the beginning lineup after sitting out Video games 3 and 4.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.ap)information.com/hub/NHL