Nothing is fazing the New York Rangers, not a multi-game series deficit or playing in a building where no road team has won in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Instead, the resilient bunch are carrying an ever-growing confidence straight into the Eastern Conference finals, thanks to another Game 7 win and the latest strong performance from possibly the game’s best goaltender.
Chris Kreider scored twice, Igor Shesterkin was strong in net again and the Rangers ended the Carolina Hurricanes’ perfect postseason run at home, beating them 6-2 in the decisive Game 7 of their second-round playoff series Monday night.
Photo: James Guillory-USA Today
Kreider and Adam Fox had first-period power-play goals as the Rangers raced to a quick lead. The Rangers then rode Shesterkin’s latest offense-stymieing performance to win a fifth straight elimination game win in these playoffs.
“Backs against the wall five times now, and we’ve come through all five,” Fox said.
Shesterkin finished with 36 saves and carried the shutout well into the third period.
Now the Rangers are off to a conference final for the first time since 2015, earning a matchup with two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay. New York are to host Game 1 of that series tonight.
Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil also scored in what became an unexpected rout, with Andrew Copp adding a late empty-netter. More impressively, the Rangers’ win came in an arena where the Hurricanes had gone 7-0 in the playoffs, including a Game 7 victory to beat the Boston Bruins in the first round and three meetings in this series.
New York looked as if they were having plenty of fun on Monday in capping a second straight comeback win from a multi-game deficit.
Kreider went as far as to throw in a comparison to “cockroaches.”
“We don’t go away, regardless of the score, regardless of where our game is at,” Kreider said.
Vincent Trocheck and Max Domi scored for the Hurricanes.
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