Game #37 Preview: Hurricanes vs Rangers

 

Hurricanes (26-8-2) vs Rangers (26-10-4)

The Carolina Hurricanes face off against one of the top teams in the NHL tonight. The New York Rangers have been taking steps forward the past couple of years led by Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome, Chris Kreider, and Igor Shesterkin. They look to expand their lead in the Metro division over the Hurricanes tonight. This is a big mid-season matchup that could help one of these teams lay claim to a division title. 


Previous Meeting

The last game played between Carolina and New York was two years ago in the Toronto bubble. Carolina won game 3 to finish a sweep of the Rangers in the play-in round in 2020. 


Vezina Caliber Goaltending

Igor Shesterkin has been nothing short of incredible for the Rangers this season. He is 2nd in the league for GSAx with 21.8 (Via MoneyPuck.com), and he is the frontrunner at the moment for the Vezina trophy. Right behind Shesterkin is Freddie Andersen for the Hurricanes. Andersen is also near the top of the NHL in GSAx at 19.1 (Via MoneyPuck.com). Both of these teams have gotten elite goaltending from their #1’s this season. Igor is not expected to start tonight for the Rangers, but he deserves to be talked about the most when discussing their success this season.


Tony DeAngelo (and others) against their former team

Tony DeAngelo’s exodus from the Rangers led him to sign with the Hurricanes in the off-season. Amongst drama and perceived controversy, the Rangers decided it best to cut ties with DeAngelo, which has led to Carolina benefitting from this decision. DeAngelo is near the top of the NHL in defenseman points per game. And he has been a much-needed sparkplug in replacement of Dougie Hamilton. DeAngelo has made a couple of mistakes in the past, but to his credit, he has let his play do the talking this season. And he has shown consistent personal growth since the racial slur incident in junior. Brady Skjei, Jesper Fast, Brendan Smith, and Derek Stepan are all facing their former team tonight as well. All of this points to tonight being a feisty contest between two elite teams.


Projected Lines

Teravainen-Aho-Jarvis

Svechnikov-Trocheck-Niederreiter

Lorentz-Staal-Fast

Leivo-Kotkaniemi-Stepan


Slavin-DeAngelo

Skjei-Pesce

Smith-Cole


Andersen

LaFontaine


Covid: Necas, Martinook

Injuries: Raanta

Scratches: Bear


What the Analytics Predict

MoneyPuck.com gives Carolina a 63.3% chance of winning tonight.


Players to Watch

Sebastian Aho killed the Rangers in the 2020 play-in series. And he has been stellar so far this season for the Hurricanes. How his line plays will be key for Carolina’s success tonight.


Alexander Georgiev gets the nod for the Rangers tonight in goal. Carolina has run into Lundqvist, Shesterkin, and Georgiev in the past with limited success. Georgiev’s play will be a deciding factor tonight.

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