There will be no sweep for the New York Rangers in the second round. The Carolina Hurricanes have stopped the Blueshirts’ 7-0 playoff streak in Game 4 on Saturday night and avoided getting swept by the Rangers in this series. Game 4 ended 4-3, the same score as the rest of the games in this series, except this one ended in regulation and saw a much grittier effort from Carolina to get the win.
The Hurricanes may have taken Game 4, but the Rangers still lead the series 3-1. Can they keep their postseason alive, or did they just get lucky this time around?
Alexis Lafreniere Continues To Impress
Alexis Lafreniere this postseason:
— 4 goals
— 6 assists
— 10 points
— 15:45 TOI/GP16 game player pic.twitter.com/U9any3Yxf4
— RangersMuse (@nyrangersmuse) May 12, 2024
The former first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has had quite a season, both in the regular season and in the postseason. Alexis Lafreniere has been changing the “bust” narrative ever since he took the ice alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. He currently boasts ten points in the eight playoff games played with the Rangers this season, seven of which are even-strength points that tie him with Connor McDavid for the playoff lead.
His performance in Game 4 was a major reflection of his improvement and constant shattering of expectations for the 22-year-old forward. He was clearly the best player on the ice Saturday night against the Hurricanes.
Lafreniere scored his fourth goal of the playoffs –the game-tying goal– two minutes into the third period to make the score 3-3. Apart from his goal, he had several chances that did not quite get past Frederik Andersen. In total, Lafreniere had eight shot attempts during Game 4, the most out of the New York Rangers. His determination and focus on getting the puck to the back of the net did not go unnoticed, and thankfully one of his shots paid off.
Head coach Peter Laviolette commented on Lafreniere’s incredible performance against the Hurricanes Saturday night, saying:
“I thought he could have had four or five goals last night. He put himself in situations to get to areas where he could make a difference in the game, but he’s done that through the course of the year. He’s done it with his linemates and there’s been that elevation, but now it’s the playoffs. We’re playing one of the better teams in the League and he’s still able to find those opportunities.”
There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that given his performance in Game 4 and throughout the playoffs as a whole, Alexis Lafreniere will be a key factor in possibly getting the Rangers the series win against the Hurricanes in Game 5.
The Hurricanes’ Power Play Improves in Game 4
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Throughout the first three games of the series, the Carolina Hurricanes have seen their specialty teams falter in ways that were not expected of them given their record in the regular season. However, after the No.2 power play in the league this regular season went 0 for 15 this series, the Hurricanes were finally able to capitalize on their last one to give them the game-winner.
Brady Skjei’s one-timer in the dwindling moments of regulation time made it past Igor Shesterkin, bringing back the lead that was once held by the Hurricanes at the beginning of the game. This goal came after Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour tweaked the power-play units to hopefully get a combination that worked. And thankfully for them, it did. Skjei was placed on the top unit and managed to keep the Canes season alive.
The players had a good attitude towards this new power-play combination. Skjei commented on the new units with optimism, saying, “Just moving forward, we just have to keep playing well on the power play and it’s going to be a huge part going forward in this series.”
Rangers Win Streak Comes To An End
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The New York Rangers have been blazing through the Eastern Conference during this postseason. After sweeping the Washington Capitals in the First Round, fans were looking towards yet another sweep as the Blueshirts were up 3-0 in the series going into Game 4. However, the Hurricanes were not going to let that happen so easily, and they pushed for a Game 5 for the first time in the Rangers’ postseason appearance this year.
However, fans are looking at this win through 1994-tinted glasses, and see their Game 4 loss as a positive. In 1994, the Stanley Cup-winning New York Rangers won the President’s Trophy and went 7-0 in the postseason, just like this year’s Rangers. They also lost Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. The rest is history.
Will this history continue to repeat itself? We’ll just have to see.
Looking Forward
The New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes will play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Monday, May 13th at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden in New York. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. The Rangers currently lead the series 3-1.
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About the Author
River Caraballo (she/they) is a hockey writer for Total Apex Sports. Despite being based in Connecticut, she is a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. They host a weekly podcast and radio show, Round the Rink, where they discuss hockey from the NHL to the PWHL and college hockey. You can follow River on Twitter/X to keep up with her sports content.
