2024 Postseason: 2nd Round, Game 4: Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers

After a second straight overtime loss for the Carolina Hurricanes, their season was placed in the balance going into Game 4. Artemi Panarin's goal early in overtime helped the Rangers stun the Caniacs, giving them a 3-0 lead in the series and putting them on the verge of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years. There's no doubt that this is a very upsetting position for the Canes to be in after being lauded as one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup. Only four teams have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. If the Canes want to advance, they need to win Game 4 to get it started.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

CAR (1:51)- Evgeny Kuznetsov (3) (unassisted)

CAR (6:33)- Stefan Noesen (4) (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (3) & Tony DeAngelo (2))

NYR (8:06)- Will Cuylle (1) (assisted by Kaapo Kakko (1) & Erik Gustafsson (3))

CAR (15:29)- Sebastian Aho (3) (assisted by Jake Guentzel (5) & Brent Burns (3))

2nd Period

NYR (12:43)- Barclay Goodrow (2) (assisted by Braden Schneider (1) & Jimmy Vesey (2))

3rd Period

NYR (2:04)- Alexis Lafreniere (4) (assisted by Mika Zibanejad (10) & Jacob Trouba (3))

CAR (16:49)- Brady Skjei (1) PP (assisted by Teuvo Teravainen (4) & Andrei Svechnikov (7))

My Thoughts

Did this win give me any more hope that the Hurricanes will win this series? Nope, not really. Do I think they have a better chance of making it happen now that they've won a game? I mean, technically, yes, because had they lost, the season would be over. Will I act obnoxiously and revel in the fact that we handed the Rangers their first loss of the postseason? I won't make any promises that I won't. The Hurricanes made this much harder on themselves than they needed to. They dominated the first period yet found themselves in a fight late because they couldn't find the dagger. Their killer instinct has been off this entire series, forcing them to play from this position. Still, they got on the board, keeping them alive for a little while longer. 

It's hard to script a better start to the game if you're the Hurricanes. Evgeny Kuznetsov brings the building to life less than two minutes in. Stefan Noesen adds to it before the first commercial break. The Rangers got one back, but the top line stayed hot by restoring the two-goal lead. The first periods in this series have been largely dominated by the Hurricanes. That fact is only compounded when watching them play the remaining 40 minutes. They allowed the Rangers to slowly creak back into the game before they tied it early in the third on a brutal goal that can't happen when you're down this badly in a series. The decision to go back to Frederik Andersen was a curious one for me, but I can't argue with the final result tonight. 

It's almost poetic that the power play would win this game. It didn't help them as they fell into this 3-0 hole, but they finally came alive with the season on the line. There were only three power plays in the game, with the Canes holding a 2-1 edge, but they capitalized on their chances. They killed New York's lone chance of the night before winning the game on a late power play in the third period. One tiny adjustment proved to be the difference. Brady Skjei was quarterbacking the top unit, and he was the one who scored the winning goal. I won't blow things out of proportion by saying it saved the series for the Canes, but it was nice to see the adjustments pay off in the short term.

After Game 3, I likened my current mood to that of a Titanic passenger as the ship was starting to sink. Right now, I'm still on the sinking ship, but I'm holding on for dear life to a life preserver that has a tiny hole in it. The air is starting to slowly come out of the life preserver, but it's doing just enough to keep me alive. Sure, maybe the metaphor is a bit dramatic, but I think it gets my point across. The Rangers still have the series on lock, but the most dangerous thing you can give a person or a team is hope when all seems lost. The Hurricanes have a sliver of hope after winning Game 4. If they can replicate this performance in Game 5, we might be in business. 

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal

Aho's final statline isn't the most remarkable line of the night, but he scored on his only shot, which is a pretty good shooting percentage. He also finished the night tied for the game-high with four hits. Aho now has points in all four games in the series, picking up his first goal since Game 3 against the Islanders. He's been on the giving end during the series, so it was nice to see him on the other side of it.

2nd Star- Jake Guentzel- 1 assist

Another player who extended his point streak to four games tonight, Guentzel has been on the receiving end of Aho's passes in this series. He made a great play below the goal line to set up his linemate in the first period. Guentzel also finished the night with a game-high six shots, accounting for nearly 1/5 of the Canes' shots. He has lived up to his postseason pedigree, helping keep the season alive.

1st Star- Teuvo Teravainen- 2 assists

I was a little surprised that Teravainen wasn't recognized inside the arena as one of the three stars of the night. As the only player with multiple points, Teravainen recorded primary assists on Noesen's goal in the first and the game-winner on the power play in the third. While neither pass was out of this world, they were incredibly smart plays by Teravainen. He'd been quiet to this point in the series, so this was a good way to get him going.

Next Game- The fact that I even get to write this is fun for me. The Rangers will host the fifth game at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. MSG has not been kind to the Canes, so it'll take a lot for them to be able to force a return to Raleigh. Should that happen, Game 6 will be on Thursday night at PNC Arena.