2024-25 Regular Season, Game 51 Preview: Hurricanes at New York Rangers

The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the lineup on Saturday night when they started their New York trip on Long Island against the Islanders. This was a rare occasion when the team started on time. Jack Roslovic, who changed to #98 with Rantanen's arrival, broke out of his scoring slump, buried a beautiful stretch pass from Jesperi Kotkaniemi just over five minutes in. Sebastian Aho received a helpful bounce 72 seconds later, getting a deflection off Isaiah George's skate as he tried to find Rantanen from behind the net. Late in the period, Alexander Romanov got the bounce back as his shot from the point deflected off Sean Walker's knee to cut into the Canes' lead before intermission. The score remained 2-1 until early in the third period when Anders Lee pounced on a rebound to tie it. With nothing settled after 60 minutes, the teams continued into overtime. Andrei Svechnikov made an ill-advised pass attempt behind the New York net, springing the Islanders for a 2-on-1. Brock Nelson snapped his shot over Pyotr Kochetkov's glove to take the second point and spoil the debuts. Neither new guy factored into the scoring, though both impressed. 

The Opponent: New York Rangers (24-21-4, 52 Points- 5th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: When the teams met at Madison Square Garden the Sunday before Christmas, it didn't start well for the Hurricanes. Jimmy Vesey scored 17 seconds into the game, immediately putting the Canes behind the 8-ball. Little did we know it would be the last goal they'd score. Carolina wouldn't beat Igor Shesterkin until midway through the second period when William Carrier pounced on a rebound. The Canes earned a four-minute power play after Jack Roslovic took a stick up high from Alexis Lafreniere. Late in the second half of the infraction, Roslovic was on the receiving end of a gorgeous pass from Dmitry Orlov on the backdoor to take their first lead. The team dug in for the third period, making a few key stops on the penalty kill before Sebastian Aho put the game away with the empty-net goal. Kochetkov finished with 22 stops and became the second goalie in organization history to record a multi-point game with assists on the final two goals.

Since We Last Met: Their loss to the Canes began a four-game losing streak for the Rangers, bringing them to their lowest point of the season. Since the calendar changed, New York has been a different team. They're 8-2-3 in 2025, though they're coming off a crushing 5-4 loss to the Avalanche on Sunday, in which Jack Drury scored a goal and Martin Necas recorded two assists for their first points since the trade. Despite their immense talent, the Rangers have truly been an average team. They're middle of the road on both offense and defense. Artemi Panarin still leads the team in goals (21) and points (52) by a decent margin, with Adam Fox the next closest at 40. Before allowing five goals to Colorado, Igor Shesterkin had been looking like his usual self. In his seven starts prior to Sunday, Shesterkin was 6-0-1 with a .948 save percentage, a pair of shutouts, and just ten goals allowed. With their recent work, the Rangers have worked back into Wild Card contention, sitting three points out of a playoff spot and in the middle of a logjam in the Eastern Conference.

Stories of the Night

1. For Real This Time

I gave the group Saturday night off in terms of caring about the result. With two new players in the lineup, there was some feeling out that need to be done. With a game and a practice under their belt, it's time for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to do what they do best. Especially against a division rival like the Rangers, there is no room for error. Both had good endings to their game on Saturday, so there is a lot of positives to go off. I expect both to find the scoresheet on Tuesday. 

2. Rinse and Repeat at MSG

Outside of the early goal, the last trip to MSG was one of their cleanest that I can recall. Pyotr Kochetkov had a thing or two to do with that, but the tenacious effort from all 18 skaters made it possible. The team looks a little different now, but the expectation should remain the same. Against a Rangers team starting to find their way as they close a four-game homestand, their goal is to get back into the playoffs, where they feel they rightfully belong. The Canes can win the season series with just one point, but anything less than two shouldn't be tolerated.