‘Sloppy and ugly’: Canes’ win streak ends with 6-2 loss to Rangers

The Carolina Hurricanes suffered a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers in PNC Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11. The Rangers knocked the Hurricanes out of the postseason a year ago, and they certainly had Carolina’s number again tonight in Raleigh.

The Canes received a boost from center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and left wing Teuvo Teravainen, who scored Carolina’s only two goals. The headlining performance of the evening, however, came from New York left wing Artemi Panarin, who totaled four goals and a hat trick in the third period alone.

ICYMI: Artemi Panarin scored career goals No. 200, 201, 202 and 203 tonight. 🤭 pic.twitter.com/3gi2yJE1rp

— NHL (@NHL) February 12, 2023

“The stuff we were giving up were just great A’s — either breakaways or two-on-ones, and stuff that we can’t be doing,” said center Jordan Staal, the team’s captain. “In the third, we just completely came off our game and what we really wanted to do, and then it just got really sloppy and ugly at that point.”

PNC Arena was absolutely electric on Saturday night — seemingly every Rangers fan showed up in droves to wash the rink in a sea of royal blue. Never ones to back down from a challenge, Caniacs responded in kind with rowdy cheers and extra-raucous boos whenever the Rangers got a little too close to goaltender Frederik Andersen.

New York center Vincent Trocheck received a standing ovation for his first reappearance in Raleigh since agreeing to a seven-year deal with the Rangers on July 13, 2022. The Pittsburgh native received a standing ovation from Caniacs and New York transplants alike — most fans remember Trocheck fondly, especially after a stunning 21-goal performance in the 2021-2022 season.

Welcome back, Troch 👋 pic.twitter.com/nFkXwGbVnY

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 12, 2023

After a 10-day hiatus for most of Carolina’s squad — with the exception of right-wing Andrei Svechnikov, who represented the Hurricanes in this year’s All-Star game — the team returned to the ice to face the Rangers in a thrilling intra-division game. In the most recent matchup between the two team, New York snapped Carolina’s 11-game win streak with a decisive 5-3 victory.

For the bulk of the game, the shot differential didn’t quite reflect the score. The Rangers kept in time with the Canes, holding Carolina to a tied game for most of regulation. With 10 minutes left to play, the Rangers were up by one, yet the Hurricanes nearly doubled them in shots on goal. New York goaltender Jaroslav Halak performed extremely well in place of Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, posting a .931 save percentage.

Jaroslav Hálak is the first backup goalie to have a 7-game win streak for #NYR pic.twitter.com/2pFP29XS0H

— Stat Boy Steven 🇳🇱 🇮🇪 (@StatBoy_Steven) February 12, 2023

“I was actually surprised at how well we played at the start of the [first] period,” said head coach Rod Brind’Amour. “We were really sharp, and we needed to get more out of the [first] two periods. … We didn’t really execute anything that we were trying to do.”

Fans hoping for an improved power-play performance after the week-long bye were sorely disappointed — Carolina barely had a fighting chance during either man-advantage, giving up two important opportunities for an edge over the Rangers.

Heading into the third period, the game was knotted at two goals apiece. The Rangers took the lead 4:33 into the frame and never gave it up. In fact, they piled in three more for good measure. The game got ugly and then even uglier in the third period, making the contest seem more lopsided than it really was.

“Coming off a break like that isn’t always easy,” Staal said. “It wasn’t our best, but I’m turning the page here and [getting] to work tomorrow. … New day to get better, and we’re gonna learn from what we did tonight and how we can get better.”

The Hurricanes will travel to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 for a Valentine’s Day special against the Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.