Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers Game 2: Eastern Conference Playoffs – Second Round

The New York Rangers took the lead in the opening game of the series but the Carolina Hurricanes will show up ready for Game 2 at Madison Square Garden.

The Hurricanes have nothing to worry about

The Carolina Hurricanes had a great start to the playoffs, eliminating the New York Islanders, but as expected, the Rangers are a much more difficult opponent than their city rival. The Hurricanes had a poor start to the series, allowing three goals in the first period of Game 1. They were one of the best teams in penalty kill in the regular season but simply did not find a way to slow down the Rangers. Jacob Slavin scored in the first period for Carolina, and Martin Necas and Seth Jarvis scored in the last one, but that wasn’t enough to avoid the loss.

Is this the season for the Rangers?

The New York Rangers had the best regular-season record in the entire league and they look like the main contender to win the Stanley Cup this season. The Rangers swept the Washington Capitals in the opening round and then had a furious start of the series against the Hurricanes. Mika Zibanejad scored twice in the opening period and Vincent Trocheck added another one for the Rangers and they did not look back in the 4-3 win in the opener. Their best player in the regular season Artemi Panarin scored his lone goal of the game in the middle of the third period.

Betting Trends

The Rangers have won 8 of the last 10 games overall and 6 of the last 8 home games against the Hurricanes. New York is 7-0 SU in their last 6 games overall and 7-1 SU in their last 8 home games. The Rangers have played under the total goal line in 4 of their last 6 games against the Hurricanes and in 5 of their last 8 games overall. Carolina is 9-3 SU in their last 12 games and 11-5 SU in their last 16 games on the road. They have played under the total goal line in 10 of the last 15 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and in 13 of the last 19 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division.

Prediction and Conclusion

It was a hell of a fight in the opening game between the Rangers and the Hurricanes, and the top-seeded team took a 1-0 lead. The Rangers started very well, scoring three goals in the first seven shots of the game, which has not happened all season long. The hurricanes had no choice but to try to respond, but they fell just short at the end. No team scored in the second period of Game 1, and it is expected that this one will not be as efficient as the opening game. Both teams have great defenses, and that will keep this one under 5.5 goals in total.