As the New York Rangers came from behind to take a 2-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes, their special teams and power play performance continued to give them the edge over their newfound rival.
The Rangers won Game 1 4-3 by outscoring Carolina 2-0 on special teams, and the story was the exact same in Game 2, albeit with Carolina leading for most of the time on Tuesday night while the Rangers led almost the entire game Sunday.
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Carolina was much closer to its A-game on Tuesday night, but the Rangers found a way to win anyway thanks to those dynamite special teams units.
The penalty kill held Carolina scoreless on two overtime power plays that would have tied the series, and the Rangers power play got its own opportunity in double overtime.
With Brady Skjei in the box for a cross-check, former Hurricane Vincent Trocheck buried a rebound behind Frederik Andersen to walk the game off and send the series to Raleigh with his team ahead 2-0.
In 2022, Carolina had home ice and won the first two games at home before the Rangers rallied to win their home games and eventually steal Game 7 in Raleigh, so Carolina has a recent blueprint from this rivalry to follow.
But to pull it off, head coach Rod Brind'Amour and his team will have to find a way to break through on the power play while slowing down New York's lethal power play.
They can do it, as they were elite on both aspects in the regular season, but it will involve solving a difficult puzzle, as the Rangers have been strong in both regards all year as well.
They also face an uphill battle against Ranger goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who is on a lengthy streak of not allowing more than 3 goals in a playoff game. The Canes have broken through against him for three in each game so far, but they might need to get more than that to get the job done in a must-win Game 3.
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