When does the Hurricanes-Rangers Stanley Cup playoff series start? Here’s how to watch

The New York Rangers made a late-season charge behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the Metropolitan Division crown, after the Canes leveled out a bit in the final months of the regular season.

Saturday, they made another charge — and completed it. Trailing by a goal in the third period, Mika Zibenajad scored to send the game into overtime, and Artemi Panarin finished on a power play in the extra session to lift the Rangers over the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, in Game 7 of their first-round series. The Rangers at one point trailed the series 3-1, and at that point had given up seven goals in each of back-to-back games.

The NHL announced early Monday morning that the Hurricanes-Rangers second-round series will start Wednesday, May 18 at PNC Arena. Game 1 is slated for a 7 p.m. start and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN and its family of networks and apps.

Full series schedule

Season series

Back in early February, the Canes had a large advantage in the division, but the hot-shooting Rangers, led by a strong if unexpected season from Chris Kreider and elite Vezina Trophy caliber goaltending from Igor Shesterkin, caught up. It wasn’t until the final weeks of the season — a five-game Carolina win streak and a head-to-head win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden included — that things were decided.

New York won 52 games and earned 110 points, the most since it won 53 and had the league’s best record in 2015, and they did that as the second-youngest team to make the playoffs (average age: 26.44), according to Elite Prospects. The L.A. Kings were the youngest, at 26.27. The Canes? Fourth among playoff teams at 27.35.

But what does that mean? Only that both teams have drafted well and acquired reasonably aged veterans. This time of year, experience can be a factor in a tight playoff series. Boston nearly willed its way past Carolina on the backs of two veteran forwards who’ve won the Stanley Cup.

In dispatching Boston, the Canes proved they’re ready for youth to be served.

The Rangers, though, present an interesting mirror-image, and not only because several Canes players once donned a blue shirt.

Here’s a look at the Rangers lineup:

Forwards

The biggest story up front this season for the Rangers has been Chris Kreider. A solid all-around player since joining the Rangers out of Boston College in 2011, Kreider was a solid second- or third-line fantasy option (for those in deeper leagues) because he is also a tough customer and picked up a lot of penalty minutes (which are rewarded in many fantasy leagues). But his previous high for goals in a season was 28, in 2016-17 and again in 2018-19.

This year? He had 52 in the regular season, and has five more in the playoffs.

He plays on the team’s top line with Mika Zibanejad and Bruins castoff via Florida Frank Vatrano. The Rangers’ second line, or more accurately a 1B to the Kreider line’s 1A, features Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp, the latter of which was also a mid-season acquisition for the Rangers.

The Rangers also feature what many refer to as “the kid line”: Alexis Lafreniere, 20, Filip Chytil, 22, and Kaapo Kakko, 21. Overall, as mentioned previously, the Rangers are the second-youngest playoff team this season, and the fourth youngest overall.

To help the youngsters, the Rangers’ grind line can be a nuisance at best, and absolute bear to contend with physically at its worst. Ryan Reaves is the noted player in this group, which also includes old Canes friend Greg McKegg.

Barclay Goodrow, a Cup winner with Tampa Bay, is among the Rangers’ depth forwards, but has been hurt recently.

Defense

The Rangers are comparable to the Canes in a very important way: Much like Carolina, New York’s top four defenders are interchangeable complements to one another. Sure, each player has a bent toward offense or defense from the blue line, but all four of the Rangers’ top defenders can manage assignments against the top lines from opposing teams. In the recently completed series against the Penguins, that was the case against the Guentzel-Crosby duo.

Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren are sound in defensive accountability and dynamic on offense. Much like the Canes’ Tony DeAngelo, Fox is a creative defender and a high octane offensive threat.

K’Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba are physically imposing and play lockdown defense in the mold of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce, with their collective size and reach covering large areas of the ice.

The edge Carolina has on paper here is in depth. Brendan Smith and Ian Cole are a solid veteran presence. They won’t wow you with Norris-like numbers, but they’ll add leadership and solid minutes. The Rangers’ third pairing of Justin Braun and Braden Schneider is solid enough, but not to the same level.

Goalies

Surprisingly, the Rangers have used two goalies in these playoffs, and it wasn’t necessarily intentional.

Igor Shesterkin has been the best goalie in the NHL all season long and is the odds-on favorite to win the Vezina Trophy this season. But early in the series against the Penguins, he looked not only mortal, but downright bad, getting outdueled in a score-fest by Pens’ third-stringer Louis Domingue.

Alexandar Georgiev logged some good minutes for the Rangers this season, as well, and in the playoffs when the team needed him. But this is one position at which, again, on paper, the Rangers have an advantage.

That said, the Canes did score three goals in the second period on Shesterkin in a late-season win, and record three wins in four games during the regular season. The Rangers’ best goaltending performance against Carolina this season was by Georgiev, who had a 44-save shutout in Raleigh.

Special teams

Statistically, the Rangers present a problem matchup for the Canes.

New York finished fourth in the league with a 25.2 percent power-play conversion rate, but, very much like the Canes’ first-round opponent — and the Canes themselves — they took a step back late in the season. In the Rangers’ final 14 games, they were just 6-for-37 on power-play opportunities.

But, that big unit has a ton of weapons. Kreider led the NHL with 26 power-play goals in the regular season, has great-hand-eye coordination and is a big body to move in front. Zibanejad tied for 10th with 15 PP goals and is often used in a one-time setup from the right circle. Fox, who tied for second in the league with 33 power-play assists, plays a role for them similar to DeAngelo in Carolina, and Panarin is deadly, too, with 32 power-play assists of his own — and the game-winner with the extra skater in overtime in Game 7.

The Canes’ power play has been much maligned in the playoffs and, really, for the better part of two months, falling out of the league’s top 10 through March and April. The Rangers have been adequate killing penalties this year, but hit a couple of slumps in that department.

Coaching

Seemingly on an upward trajectory, the Rangers were apparently not pleased with the work of GM Jeff Gorton and coach Dave Quinn at the end of last season. Enter Chris Drury as GM, who brought in Gerard Gallant behind the bench.

Gallant, who took the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s first season, was unceremoniously let go the year prior. His style has fit the Rangers’ roster perfectly, and he led them to a 52-win season.

He directs the team in a north-south game, similar to how the Canes run. He’s a solid tactician, and has a proven playoff track record.

This story was originally published May 15, 2022 at 10:24 PM.

Justin Pelletier

The News & Observer

Justin is a 25-year veteran sports journalist with stops in Lewiston, Maine (Sun Journal), and Boston (Boston Herald). A proud husband, and father of twin girls, Pelletier is a Boston University graduate and member of the esteemed Jack Falla sportswriting mafia. He has earned dozens of state and national sportswriting and editing awards covering preps, colleges and professional leagues.