Sweet Home Carolina: Hurricanes improve to 7-0 in Raleigh in playoffs

Southern critters love their familiar habitat.

The Carolina Hurricanes aren’t exactly critters, but they are creatures of habit. And there is no place like home for these Hurricanes.

Converting a relentless all-night assault into a 3-1 victory over the visiting New York Rangers, the Canes have now won all seven of their home playoff games this season -- the backbone of their 3-2 series lead over New York in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. In Round 1, Carolina won all four home games to beat the Boston Bruins in seven games.

This was vintage Canes hockey: the visiting Rangers could barely move without a Carolina player closing in.

“That’s kind of the game that we’ve been waiting for,” said Canes head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We’ve been playing OK, but tonight was just good all the way around. That’s more, obviously, how we want to play.”

As assertive as the home team was in front of their raucous Raleigh fans, the Rangers hung around in this game, thanks to the goaltending of Igor Shesterkin. It wasn’t until Andrei Svechnikov scored on a breakaway with just under seven minutes left in the third period that Carolina had some breathing room.

Considering Shesterkin had yielded just five goals to Carolina over the first four games, this trio of goals by the Canes felt like a deluge. That the sluggish power play scored, Carolina controlled the play and Svechnikov scored his first goal of the series meant the home team checked off a lot of boxes on this night.

Antti Raanta, the 33-year-old backup goalie who continues to write his personal story this spring, quelled any potential Rangers rallies and was sharp when he needed to be, while facing just 17 New York shots. Carolina pumped 34 at Shesterkin.

Early in the second period, the Rangers thought they had taken a 2-1 lead off a sweeping shot by Ryan Strome, but that goal was taken off the board when the Canes challenged the play for an offside. Replays confirmed that Andrew Copp was still inside the zone when the Rangers brought the puck in.

Brind’Amour sweated out a few anxious moments waiting for the review announcement, but was confident the goal was coming back.

“Once we saw it, I don’t know why it took so long,” he said.

Brind’Amour admitted that it’s “a different game” if the Rangers take the lead there.

About five minutes after that gut-punch for the visitors, they took another blow -- a power-play goal by Teuvo Teravainen. As the Rangers did with their power-play goal, this one came quickly, off the setup from a winning faceoff. Teravainen converted a perfect pass from 20-year-old Seth Jarvis.

“I mean, that was just a great play by Jarvy,” Teravainen said. “To find that seam and get it to me, I just tried to catch and shoot it right away.”

As simple as Teravainen made it sound, his coach was more effusive in his description of the shot.

“That’s a great catch and shoot,” Brind’Amour said, adding that big moments are never too big for the Finnish winger, who has quietly amassed 10 points in 11 playoff games for Carolina.

The Canes should have padded their lead, if only Sebastian Aho hadn’t developed a sudden inkling for painted iron. He ripped two shots off the post, including a glorious opportunity alone in the slot late in the second.

Off the opening faceoff, the Hurricanes emerged with just the mix of energy and forecheck attack for which they are known.

“They play a dynamic style,” New York’s Tyler Motte said before the game. “They’re very physical at home.”

The Canes finally scored a first-period goal in the series – if not how they expected.

With Svechnikov off for boarding, the Canes made a couple of early clears on the kill and then caused a turnover at their own blueline that led to a two-on-break the other way. Vincent Trocheck finished the play after Jordan Staal executed the perfect saucer pass over a sprawling K’Andre Miller onto Trocheck’s forehand.

The Hurricanes only had four shorthanded goals all season, but now have two in this series.

If that impressive kill/shortie might mean Carolina could play fast and loose with their discipline, think again. A second careless penalty in the first period, this time a crosscheck by Ian Cole, resulted in a tie game off the Rangers power play.

Mika Zibanejad, emerging as a top playoff performer this spring, won the faceoff off his “shadow”, Staal, then got into position for a pass, which he converted with a booming one-timer just inside the post on the stick side of Raanta.

Zibanejad now has a three-game goal scoring streak while running his playoff point total to 15.

Chris Kreider, New York’s 52-goal man in the regular season, has not scored a point in the three games in Raleigh, but vows a bounceback at home.

“There’s always disappointment, frustration, anger when you lose a hockey game, especially at this level,” said Kreider, who did not register a shot on goal Thursday, but trickled one wide in the third period.

“The great thing about playoff hockey is we got another opportunity. Must-win game, game at home, hold serve and give ourselves an opportunity to play better here.”

Game 6 of this series is Saturday in New York, where the Rangers hope the home-ice trend continues -- at least for one more night.

“We’ve been in this position before and I like our chances on home ice,” Strome said. “We’re familiar with this situation and we’ve got a chance to push it to seven.”