Series tied 2-2

New York Rangers win 4-1

This was the most convincing win in the series so far. This wasn’t just a win for the Rangers, it was a statement. The only metrics Carolina ended up ahead in were shots in goal, 31-28, which is nothing. The big advantage continues to be face-off wins at 65%. High danger shots weren’t that great and their only goal came from a bad Rangers turnover in their end which turned into a sloppy scramble. That made it 3-1 and Andrew Copp wristed a puck past Raanta just a few plays later.

The Rangers took the lead and then a commanding lead in the first period and it felt like they were in control for most of the game. Trouba laid out Domi for his end of Game 3 antics, which really set the tone and commitment for the rest of the game. Carolina is going to have to fight for everything and be smart about it or it’s going to get worse for them. The Rangers went 1-4 on the power play and the Hurricanes went 0-3.

Copp had an incredible game, Zibanejad was dancing through the whole game, Fox was making move after move, Vatrano got back on the scoreboard, and gad zooks Ryan Lindgren! He might be the lighthouse for this team. He does everything he can on every single shift he’s on and it makes everyone better. He’s earning the title of co-captain at the very least.

Another brilliant game for Igor, he made a handful of wild saves, one of which was at the very start of the game. That could have changed the way the game went after that but he kept it tied at zero, the boys in front of him got back to work to snag the lead and never looked back.

This was an incredibly exciting game and now the pressure has been dumped on Carolina. They’ve blown a two game lead, the Rangers keep getting better and now they have to keep their home game-winning streak alive. The home crowd is wild in Raleigh, they show the Hurricanes tremendous support but if things break bad for them early, it could devastate the crowd and take them out of the equation. Then, back to MSG on Saturday for even greater pressure at a hostile arena. The Rangers have the real possibility to finish this in 6 games. Barclay Goodrow is skating at practice now so the return of the team’s best face-off man could be on the horizon.