The Tampa Bay Lightning will finally get to know which team they would face in the Eastern Conference finals, with the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes set to play Game 7 this Monday. Check out our preview below of this Rangers vs. Hurricanes 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs game.
It did not take the Rangers long to send a strong message in Game 6 that this series against Carolina was going to need to go the distance. The Rangers scored two unanswered goals in the first period and with the help of Igor Shesterkin’s stout defense, were able to come away with a 5-2 win to force Game 7. Shesterkin rejected 37 of 39 shots and even had a couple of assists – just the fifth time in Stanley Playoffs history that a goalie recorded at least a couple of helpers in a game. The Russian goaltender now has four wins in elimination games, and he’ll have to put up another stellar performance this Monday. Arguably the best goalie this season, Shesterkin has the full trust of New York. Of course, the Rangers’ offense has to be there just as it did in Game 6 in which Filip Chytil scored a couple of surprise goals. Mika Zibanejad struck again as well for his team-leading 7th goal of the postseason.
The Rangers are 6-2 in their last 8 when their opponent gave up at least 5 goals in the previous game.
The obvious thing to know about the Hurricanes is that, like New York, they are undefeated as the home team in this series. The last time the Canes played at PNC Arena, they scored a 3-1 win in Game 5 and posted an even-strength of 54.31 CF% and 2.45 to just 1.51 xGF by the Rangers. The truth is that no matter the location, the Hurricanes are always posting the better-advanced stats metrics offensively than the Rangers in this series, so that’s already a big plus for Carolina’s chances to win Game 7. Defensively, the Hurricanes need to match the effort of Shesterkin. Antti Raanta was pulled in Game 6 for Pyotr Kochetkov, but it’s the former who’ll likely get the start for Monday’s showdown at home.
The Hurricanes are 4-0 in their last 4 games after a loss of at least 3 goals.
