First Period:
- Mika Zibanejad (2) Assists: Jack Roslovic (3), Adam Fox (3)
- Jaccob Slavin (1) Assists: Sebastian Aho (2), Jake Guentzel (4)
- Mika Zibanejad (3) (Power Play) Assists: Chris Kreider (2), Vincent Trocheck (4)
- Vincent Trocheck (4) (Power Play) Assists: Mika Zibanejad (7), Chris Kreider (3)
Second Period:
Third Period:
- Martin Necas (2) Assists: Jordan Martinook (1), Dmitry Orlov (1)
- Artemi Panarin (3) Assists: Alexis Lafreniere (5)
- Seth Jarvis (4) Assists: Sebastian Aho (3), Brent Burns (2)
Three Stars:
- 3: Chris Kreider
- 2: Vincent Trocheck
- 1: Mika Zibanejad
Stats:
Adam Rotter:
- I thought that the Rangers had to be better against Carolina than they were against Washington and they certainly were today.
- For two periods the Rangers were extremely stout defensively. They were in every lane, breaking up passes and stopping most of Carolina’s attempts. ESPN, midway through the third showed Carolina with 14 minutes of offensive zone time compared to the Rangers 8:29, but the Rangers were ahead in shots and, most importantly, still ahead on the scoreboard. 14 shots allowed in 14 minutes is a reflection of how well the Rangers were playing in their own zone.
- We know that for the Rangers to win and advance in the playoffs that their big guys had to lead the way and they did tonight. Everyone in the top-six had at least one point, Mika Zibanejad had two goals, Vincent Trocheck had one and Artemi Panarin squeaked one through for the winner. They were opportunistic and converted in big moments.
- Unsurprisingly it was the Rangers PP and special teams that were likely the main difference in the game. The Rangers scored their first two PP goals in under 25 seconds or so and the PK was perfect. Probably too many penalties to give a team like Carolina, but today the Rangers PK was outstanding.
- It was a good win and a really good start to the series for the Rangers. They did one of the most important things against a team like Carolina and grabbed the lead. Playing with the lead allowed the Rangers to be more defensive and lock things down defensively for most of the game. Carolina will do the same if they get the lead and so it was important for the Rangers to grab the lead and then build on it.
- We did start to see more of who the Hurricanes really are in the last 10 minutes or so. They were pressing and the Rangers were still doing a fairly nice job defending, but they never got the puck and couldn’t get it out for long stretches.