The Carolina Hurricanes are in a strong position to secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs, while the New York Rangers seem far from the team that won their second-round playoff series last season in six games.
On Wednesday in Raleigh, N.C., the Hurricanes will try to extend their home win streak to nine games, while the Rangers aim to avoid a fourth straight loss. This will be the first matchup of the season between the two Metropolitan Division teams.
Last season, Carolina fell short of winning the division by just three points, finishing with 111. The title went to the Rangers, who also claimed the Presidents’ Trophy after earning a league-best 114 points.
A little more than a month into the current season, Carolina is in third place in the league with 31 points. At home, they have outscored opponents 41-16 since a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener on Oct. 11.
The Hurricanes have scored at least four goals in each game of their home win streak and have reached that mark 16 times in 21 games this season.
They kept the streak going with a 6-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday. Carolina scored five goals in the third period, including a tiebreaking power-play goal from Martin Necas with less than three minutes left, after trailing 3-1.
“I already know what we have,” said Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour. “It’s just, can they grasp how we have to play every shift? I think sometimes we get a little off and try to do things differently, then all of a sudden, we get to the way we have to play… We don’t always get the result like that, but you’re giving yourself a chance. Really, a game like that, that’s what you’re hoping you get out of it.”
Sebastian Aho scored the first goal in the third-period comeback and had three assists. Seth Jarvis scored in his first game since Nov. 9 and added two assists, including one on Necas’ goal.
Despite uncertainty in goal, the Hurricanes continue to win. Frederik Andersen is still recovering from knee surgery, and Pyotr Kochetkov is in concussion protocol after a collision with defenseman Sean Walker during Saturday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Spencer Martin started in goal on Monday.
The Rangers started strong with a 5-0-1 record but have struggled since, going 7-7-0 in their last 14 games and losing three in a row. They ended a four-game road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, then suffered another loss at home, 5-2, to the St. Louis Blues on Monday.
Will Cuylle scored twice, but key players like Vincent Trocheck, Artemi Panarin, and Mika Zibanejad combined for only six shots on goal and were a combined minus-7, as the Rangers were outshot 44-29.
“We need to be better,” said New York coach Peter Laviolette. “Everybody needs to be better. It’s not good enough what we’re doing.”
Monday’s loss came after reports that Rangers general manager Chris Drury had told other teams he might be open to trading forward Chris Kreider and defenseman Jacob Trouba, who has a no-move clause for 15 teams.
Kreider missed his first game since Jan. 16, 2023, on Monday due to an upper-body injury and is listed as day-to-day. He has nine goals in 19 games this season. Trouba was on the ice for two goals in Monday’s loss and has only two points since recording four assists in the first three games of the season.
