The New York Rangers took their positive vibes after sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning into Carolina. Fatigued from playing the night before and travel, the Rangers had a hard time dealing with the swarming Hurricanes.
What no one could foresee was the absolute stunning performance by backup Alexandar Georgiev, who finished with 44 incredible stops to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 on Sunday night in Raleigh, N.C.
Recap: Rangers 2 vs Hurricanes 0
Chris Kreider scored in the second period and Frank Vatrano had an empty-net tally with 41.3 seconds to play for the Rangers.
Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen made 16 saves, but Carolina now has its first four-game losing streak of the season. It is 0-3-1 during that stretch.
Georgiev, New York’s No. 2 goalie for most of the season, earned his first victory against a team other than Anaheim since Jan. 3. It also marked his biggest save total of the season.
It was the second significant result for the Rangers in less than 24 hours following a 2-1 triumph Saturday night at Tampa Bay.
Kreider does it again
Kreider scored with 4:21 remaining in the second period for his team-leading 41st goal of the season. He has a goal in three of the last four games.
Jacob Trouba and Alexis Lafreniere assisted on the goal.
“He’s so consistent,” Lafrenière said of Kreider on MSG. “For me, he’s a great guy for me to look at and learn. It’s been really fun to play with him.”
New York managed just three shots on goal in the first period and seven more in the second. By then, the Hurricanes held a 29-10 advantage in shots going into the third period.
“They are on us and forecheck hard,” Ryan Lindgren said at intermission. “We’ve just got the help each other out there and get the puck out of our d-zone. I thought we did a good job of supporting each other.”
Vatrano seals the deal as Georgiev closes the door
Off a late draw with the Hurricanes net empty, Mika Zibanejad corralled a loose puck and threw it off the boards up ice. Frank Vatrano looked like he was shot out of cannon to retrieve and put the game away.
“They all count– so I’ll take it,” Vatrano said of his first goal as a Ranger. “I’m glad I could seal the deal for the boys.”
Sunday marked Georgiev’s seventh career shutout. It had been more than a year — March 17, 2021 — since his last one.
“It felt pretty great.” Georgiev said with a huge smile. “It’s been a long time since I had a game like that where it’s not a lot of goals and tight to the end. I tried to enjoy the moment and compete.”
The Hurricanes were shutout victims for the third time this season. They were consistent in terms of scoring chances, with 14 shots in the first period and 15 shots in each of the next two periods.
“We were a tired hockey team coming in at 2 o’clock in the morning and having to play at 6,” coach Gerard Gallant admitted. “I was so happy to see [Georgiev] come off the ice with a shutout.”
Notable Rangers
- Alexandar Georgiev gets first shutout of the season (44 saves)
- Frankie Vatrano gets his first goal with the Rangers
- Alexis Lafrenière now has assists in three straight games
- Chris Kreider records goal 41
Tomorrow (Monday, Mar. 21): Day Off – NHL Trade Deadline
Next Game: Tuesday, Mar. 22 at New Jersey Devils (6:00 PM ET – TV: MSG)
*Schedule subject to change
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