May 30, 2022; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) is congratulated by defenseman Adam Fox (23) and defenseman Ryan Lindgren (55) after his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period in game seven of the second round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes
Going into game seven the Carolina Hurricanes had won all seven games they played at home, but this game was different. 4 minutes and 20 seconds into the game the Rangers struck first on an Adam Fox wrist shot that was assisted by Alexis Lafreniere.
The Rangers didn’t stop there making it 2-0 on a Chris Kreider deflection 8 minutes into the game. Late in the second period Hurricanes goalie Anti Raanta got hurt and didn’t return for the rest of the game making it even more difficult for Carolina to mount a comeback. Shortly after Raanta exited the game Rangers center Ryan Strome scored giving New York a 3-0 lead.
Early in the third period the Rangers struck again on a Chris Kreider breakaway goal giving New York a comfortable 4-0 cushion. The Rangers went on to win 6-2 over Carolina advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Rangers will face off against the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning starting on Wednesday Night in the Garden. The Rangers beat the Lightning all three times they played them in the regular season, but as everyone knows the playoffs are a different animal.
Both the Lightning and the Rangers have two of the best goaltenders in the league in Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin which has helped both these teams get to this point. I’m really interested to see how this series unfolds, but I think this series will go the distance with the Rangers winning in seven games.
