It had to end at some point. An 11-game winning streak and 18-game point streak came to a close at the end of what was a rare rough night up and down the Hurricanes’ lineup against the Rangers.
Three New York power-play tallies on five attempts are what sunk the team, including a controversial late penalty on Jordan Martinook in a one-goal game that resulted in an empty-net goal to put the Hurricanes out of reach. They allowed three PPGs for the first time in a game this season, and it was just the third time they’ve had it happen since the beginning of last season.
Beyond their special teams’ woes, which included an 0-for-3 outing from their 26th-ranked power play, it was also just one of their worst all-around games of the season. In all situations, the Hurricanes generated just 1.95 expected goals-for on an uncharacteristically low 23 shots on last year’s Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. 토토
At 5-on-5, they struggled to put together consistent offensive pushes, though their top-end players did capitalize on a key chance in the first period through the Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas connection. That goal put them up 2-1 in the game, and a fortuitous bounce off of a Jalen Chatfield point shot put them ahead 3-2 at the end of the second period.
It was the team’s first regulation loss this season in a game they led on the scoreboard through two periods.
Pyotr Kochetkov’s return to the net after a two-week injury-related absence didn’t go spectacularly well, either. The rusty rookie gave up four goals on 30 shots, though he did make a phenomenal post-to-post save on Artemi Panarin in the third period that kept his team squarely in the game.
It was a matter of time before Carolina’s incredible run came to a close, and it took a perfect storm of things going the wrong way to finally make it happen. Even still, the Hurricanes were a shot away from knotting up the score with just over a minute to go in the third period.
The Rangers seem to be the only team in the league that has the Hurricanes’ number since the start of 2021-22. They ousted Carolina from last year’s playoffs in the second round, playing an abrasive and opportunistic style of hockey that, when hot, can lead to great success through ultra-skilled players in Panarin and Adam Fox and a world-class goalie still in the early stages of his NHL career.
As of late, that’s been the case for the Rangers, who have followed up a disappointing 11-10-5 start with ten wins in their last 13 games. They now have a grip on the third playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, and suddenly, the three remaining matchups between these two teams seem much more intriguing.