Hurricanes beat Rangers, clinch Metro Division crown behind rookie Pyotr Kochetkov
The Carolina Hurricanes have had one goal all season — to be the best, to win the Stanley Cup.
The Canes are the best in the Metropolitan Division, the toughest in hockey. They clinched the Metro title with a 4-3 victory Tuesday over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
They also did it with a rookie goalie, Pyotr Kochetkov, whose story added another intriguing, if unexpected chapter.
Had goalie Frederik Andersen not been injured 10 days ago, Kochetkov would not have been called up from the American Hockey League. Had Antti Raanta not been injured Sunday, Kochetkov would not have been playing in a third straight game Tuesday or winning for a third straight time.
But it has been as astounding confluence of events, a move made of necessity, and Kochetkov has made the most of it. Making 31 saves Tuesday in his matchup against the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, he joined in the post-game celebration and was among the last to leave the ice before Vincent Trocheck jumped into Jaccob Slavin’s arms, as Trocheck does after victories.
“It’s unreal,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s a great story and hopefully it continues. The way he looks, nothing fazes him. He looks like he belongs.”
The Hurricanes (53-20-8) broke a couple of franchise records that have stood since 2006, then the Canes were Stanley Cup champions and Brind’Amour its team captain. They have 53 wins and 114 points, topping the 52 and 112 of the ‘06 team that put the big banner up in PNC Arena.
“You probably need to take a minute and realize it’s been a pretty good darn year and we’ve done what we wanted to do,” Brind’Amour said. “What’s great is guys aren’t really excited about it. We know that there are bigger things we want to accomplish.
“But when we set out we wanted to be the best in 82 games and we’re at the top of our division, which is great. That’s an accomplishment and we can enjoy it for a little while and we’ll get right back at it.”
The Hurricanes have one game left in the regular season, at home Thursday against New Jersey. Who knows, Kochetkov might play in a fourth consecutive game.
Raanta, to everyone’s relief with the Canes, was not seriously injured Sunday — he left the game with 7:03 left in the second period — and was able to be the backup goalie. Andersen did not make the three-game road trip as he continues to recover from a lower-body injury suffered April 16 at Colorado, and Brind’Amour had no update Tuesday on his status.
The importance of winning the division was gaining the home-ice advantage in both the first two rounds, if Carolina advances. The Florida Panthers, the Atlantic Division champs, lead the Eastern Conference with 120 points.
The game Tuesday had Kochetkov matching saves against Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy candidate and possibly the favorite to win. The game had high-skill plays and had some playoff-quality physicality and scuffles.
Trocheck, after sitting out a game, returned to have a goal and assist and gave the Canes the game’s first score in the second period off a Brady Skjei feed. That came after the Canes’ top-ranked penalty kill had been tested by three straight penalties that gave the Rangers the chance to take the first lead, late in the first and early in the second.
The Canes made it 2-0 in the second when a Derek Stepan shot glanced off Jordan Martinook in front of Shesterkin — “It hit my big bicep,” Martinook later quipped. Teuvo Teravainen scored late in the second — his 100th career goal with the Canes — and Sebastian Aho made it 4-1 in the third with his 37th of the season.
Chris Kreider scored his 52nd for the Rangers (51-23-6), who despite having Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp leave the game with injuries made it interesting late. Jacob Trouba scored in the third and Alexis Lafreniere after Shesterkin was pulled for a sixth attacker, but there would be no tying goal against Kochetkov.
“He’s got confidence, he’s got a little swagger to him,” Skjei said.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 9:50 PM.
