Down by one goal and facing the end of their season, the Carolina Hurricanes didn’t lose hope. They believed they could turn the game around.
Jordan Staal and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored within three minutes of each other early in the third period. The Hurricanes scored four goals in that period, securing a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the second-round playoff series on Monday night. This win saved them from elimination for the second time in a row.
“We didn’t panic. We knew the situation,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We weren’t out of the game… It was about staying focused, knowing we were just one shot away.”
Jordan Martinook and Martin Necas also scored in the Hurricanes’ impressive third period. Frederik Andersen, who started for the fourth time in five games in this series and the ninth time in 10 postseason games, made 20 saves.
“No one was discouraged,” Staal said. “We knew we had to give our best in the final period, and we did. We face another tough challenge back home in a couple of days… We’re fighting to stay in the competition, and the team stepped up when it mattered.”
Jacob Trouba scored a goal while his team was short-handed, and Igor Shesterkin blocked 24 shots for New York. The team lost two games in a row after leading the series 3-0.
“We take it one game at a time,” said Rangers forward Chris Kreider. “Being 3-2 against the second-best team in the league, with a chance to win, is a good position to be in. We’ll play better, pay more attention to details, and find a way to win.”
New York coach Peter Laviolette wasn’t happy with the outcome either. “We have time before the next game, but there are a lot of things we need to improve,” he said. “There were many issues tonight. We’ll review and try to fix them.”
Game 6 will be played on Thursday night in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Despite not scoring on the power play and allowing a short-handed goal for the second time in this series, the Hurricanes won. “We fight for our chance every game,” said Martinook. “We’ve given ourselves another opportunity to play and hopefully come back here for a Game 7.”
