The New York Rangers are still searching for their first home win, but are on their best stretch of the opening month.
New York seeks its fourth straight win and attempts to avoid starting this season with six straight home defeats Tuesday night when it hosts the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Rangers are returning home after a 3-1-0 road trip. New York opened the trip by getting routed in Calgary on Oct. 26 and then blanked Vancouver before getting a pair of overtime wins in Edmonton and Seattle.
After erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period in Edmonton, Vladislav Gavrikov and Noah Laba scored in the first period and Will Cuylle scored 2:42 into overtime for a 3-2 win in Seattle. Cuylle’s first career overtime goal capped a game that saw the Rangers allow 13 shots on goal – their lowest since Feb. 27, 2012 against New Jersey.
“I give the guys a lot of credit. This is not an easy trip to come out here. We lose the first game in Calgary, and to rebound the way we did just speaks volumes, I think, for the character of the guys,” New York coach Mike Sullivan said. “You can feel the energy around the team. I feel like we’ve earned our swagger back through our own sweat equity, and that was something that we talked to the group about and making sure that we all just invest in playing the right way.”
New York scored 10 goals on the trip, which is four more than they’ve scored in their 0-4-1 start at home. The Rangers are playing their first home game since a wild 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 23, a loss that tied the 1943-44 team for the longest home losing streak to start a season in franchise history.
Carolina began with five straight wins but is 2-4-0 in its past six contests. The Hurricanes ended their first losing streak with a 6-2 rout of the visiting New York Islanders on Thursday but took a 2-1 loss at Boston on Saturday afternoon.
Carolina allowed two goals in the first 5:05 of the third period and has given up 12 in the third periods of its last six games. Those goals occurred before Alexander Nikishin scored with under three minutes remaining.
“Obviously, we didn’t create enough, but we just have to kind of be more aware that there are long times we’re in the offensive zone and they were just kind of flipping them out, taking off, and creating chances off of that,” Carolina’s Jordan Staal said after the Hurricanes were held to one goal for the second time this season. “It’s a different style, but it’s still effective, obviously, with the way that third period went. In this league, being down two with 10 minutes left, it’s hard to come back.”
Perhaps the best news for the Hurricanes from Saturday was Seth Jarvis being able to play a full game after getting hit in his left foot twice against the Islanders. Jarvis led the Hurricanes with five shots on goal and has one goal in the past six games after scoring six times in Carolina’s opening five contests.
The Hurricanes are 6-1-0 in the past seven meetings and outscored the Rangers 18-7 while sweeping the season series last season.
