New York Rangers
Panarin to miss time — New York suffered a set back in the series when Artemi Panarin experienced knee soreness after Game 3 and he’s expected to miss the first three games of Round 2 against Carolina.
HEAD-TO-HEAD REGULAR SEASON
PRE – @CAR 3, NYR 0
Jan 21 – @CAR 3, NYR 2 OT
Mar 20 – NYR 5, @CAR 1
Apr 12 – @NYR 3, CAR 2
Apr 26 – @NYR 4, CAR 4
New York took advantage of four power play opportunities to score three goals and went on to cruise past the Hurricanes 5-1 in the decisive Game 7 of the series. The Rangers will now advance to the Conference Final to play the Buffalo Sabres who upset the #1-seeded Maple Leafs in six games.
The Rangers and ‘Canes battled to a scoreless first period, then each club scored a goal in the second frame. Before the end of the second period Carolina’s Jordan Martinook was sent off for tripping and set the Rangers up to start the final period on a power play.
New York cashed in on their man-advantage when Alexis Lafraniere scored to give his team their first lead (2-1), but the Rangers added a second power play goal a minute later to take control 3-1. A third power play goal in the final minutes made it 5-1.
2nd Round results
Chicago 4, Colorado 3
Edmonton 4, LA Kings 0
Buffalo 4, Toronto 2
NY Rangers 4, Carolina 2
New York took control of the series against Carolina after winning Game 3 by a 3-1 final. Artemi Panarin returned from injury but had little impact. But, Alexander Radulov did make an impact — scoring late in the third period to secure the Rangers lead. Radulov’s goal was his third of the postseason.
Around the playoffs
Oilers 4, @Kings 2 — Edmonton takes 3-0 lead
@Black Hawks 3, Avalanche 1 — Chicago leads 2-1
@Maple Leafs 3, Sabres 1 — Toronto ahead 2-1
Winger Andrei Svenchnikov collected 8 points, and LW Teuvo Teravanien scored 6 goals to lead the Hurricanes past the Penguins in the first-round. Three of Svenchnikov’s four goals came on the power-play. Goalie Frederik Andersen finished the series with a 2.99 GAA and .932 SV%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD REGULAR SEASON
PRE – @CAR 3, NYR 0
Jan 21 – @CAR 3, NYR 2 OTL
Mar 20 – NYR 5, @CAR 1
Apr 12 – @NYR 3, CAR 2
Apr 26 – @NYR 4, CAR 4
Jack Eichel has been a catalyst in Buffalo’s success, but everything is on the line when Buffalo faces the season’s top team, Toronto in the second-round. Eichel scored 6 goals against the Panthers who were eliminated by the Sabres in round-one.
Carolina ripped through Pittsburgh in a sweep in the first-round. Can the ‘Canes do the same against New York? The Rangers showed twice that they can handle Carolina with two regular season victories.
The Avalanche will claim the Cinderella title after being the lowest seed to advance out of the first-round. They’ll have an uphill-battle going against the Black Hawks, the top seed in the West.
Round 2 Match-ups
#1 Chicago vs #8 Colorado
#2 LA Kings vs #4 Edmonton
#2 Carolina vs #5 NY Rangers
#1 Toronto vs #3 Buffalo
Home-ice advantage was real — Four out of eight series ended with the home team winning. Only club that failed to advance was San Jose who lost their series 4-2 to Edmonton.
Toronto playing at another level — The Maple Leafs put the Lightning out of their misery, crushing the defending champs 4-1. The Lightning averaged just 1.80 goals per game while surrendering 3.00 per game. Mitchell Marner led Toronto’s offense with 5 points and 6 assists. He and John Tavares scored 3 goals each.
The Sabres are glad they worked out their situation with Jack Eichel in the offseason— Eichel led Buffalo to a 1st-round series win against the Florida. He scored 10 points (second to McDavid’s 11) and racked 6 goals to lead the postseason.
Rangers continue dominance over Carolina — As in the regular season, the Hurricanes just can’t figure out New York and were eliminated at home despite home-ice advantage. Through the regular season and playoffs, New York went 7-3 versus Carolina.
Toronto couldn’t handle the pressure — The Maple Leafs and cover-boy Austin Matthews began their offseason prematurely after a disappointing series loss to the Sabres. Toronto cruised past Tampa Bay in Round 1 before losing steam in Round 2.
Buffalo is more than just Eichel — Eichel missed four games with knee soreness including his team’s series clinching victory over the Maple Leafs. Still, the Sabres are better with him than without and he should be ready for the Conference Final against New York.