Rangers’ Key Players Coming Through at Crucial Times vs. Hurricanes

After a poor regular season by his standards, Zibanejad has stepped up massively in these playoffs. He is tied for the team lead with 12 points in seven games and particularly in this series, he has been clutch. He scored two goals in Game 1, set up the double-overtime winner in Game 2 and got the primary assist on the Kreider short-handed goal in Game 3. He has been excellent so far and he and Kreider have been a great duo for so many years. With every goal he scores, Kreider keeps adding to the franchise record for playoff goals scored. He currently has 44 and will likely get a few more before this playoff run is over. They have been excellent this postseason and they were the ones that got the team back into Game 3.

Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere Line

This line was the Rangers’ best line all season long and while they were mostly quiet during the first round series against the Washington Capitals, they have been electric in this series so far. Starting with Trocheck, he has been arguably the best player on the team in these playoffs and he has stuck it to his former team. He scored a power play goal in Game 1, the double-overtime winner (another power play goal) in Game 2 and had the primary assist on the Panarin overtime goal in Game 3. He has been effective on both sides of the puck, as he is the team’s best face-off taker and he wins more than he loses. For Panarin, he has scored four goals in these playoffs and all of them have been game-winners. He has come up clutch so far after such a disappointing playoff performance last season. He has taken his game to another level.

As for Alexis Lafreniere, he has upped his game in this series. He had four assists in the first round against the Capitals and now, he has found his scoring touch. He has three goals and five points in the three games so far in this series and he got the secondary assist on the Panarin overtime goal. After having a career regular season, he has continued his great play in the playoffs so far and is finally showing why he was picked first overall. He was given the chance to play on this line to start the regular season and he has not looked back and it has only positives for him and the Rangers.

Igor Shesterkin’s Brilliance Continues

After making 54 saves in Game 2, Igor Shesterkin followed it up with 45 saves in Game 3 and finished the game with a .957 save percentage. He kept the Rangers in the game early on and survived the Hurricanes shooting everything at him. He has made 99 saves in the past two games and is the reason why the Rangers were able to win both in overtime. He has outplayed both of the Hurricanes’ goalies and should be considered a current favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy, as the overall MVP of the playoffs. He has kept the Rangers in these games and is the backbone for this team if they want to go even further in the playoffs this postseason.

The Rangers have a chance to sweep the Hurricanes in Game 4 and move on to the Eastern Conference Final. So far, everything has been clicking for the team, but they know the job isn’t done. The Hurricanes are going to play even more desperate next game and the Rangers know that their top guys need to keep playing like this if they want to end the series in Raleigh and rest up for the next round. It’s going to be tough, but this team has proven they can overcome any challenge and with their top guys playing the way they are right now, there is no doubt they can end this series in Game 4.