Rangers defeat Hurricanes in Game 6, push series to limit

NEW YORK -- Igor Shesterkin made 37 saves and had two assists, helping the New York Rangers avoid elimination with a 5-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Game 7 of the best-of-7 series is at Carolina on Monday.
"Well, tonight was definitely an important game," Shesterkin said. "We had to win and that's what we did. On the two assists, honestly I think it was mostly the guys who did all the work. I just left them the puck and they delivered on what they had to do."
Filip Chytil scored twice, and Adam Fox has two assists for the Rangers, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division.
New York won its sixth straight home game, setting its record for most consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff wins at home in one season. It has won four straight overall this postseason when facing elimination.
"It feels good," Chytil said. "… I tried to keep shooting every time there's a chance, and obviously many times in these playoffs even when we don't score a goal or it doesn't go to the net and they block it, we still get chances off these shots when we are first on the puck and we can keep possession."

Brady Skjei had a goal and an assist, and Vincent Trocheck scored for the Hurricanes, the No. 1 seed in the Metropolitan. Antti Raanta allowed three goals on 13 shots before he was pulled in the second period and replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov (10 saves).
The Hurricanes became the first team in NHL history to lose their first six road games in a postseason. Carolina is 7-0 at home.
"We're going to try and scrap this game," Skjei said. "Move on past. We did obviously the same exact thing in the first round with the wins and losses at home, on the road. It's obviously right now a little frustrating that we couldn't close it out, but we'll forget about this pretty quickly and we have a lot of confidence at home like our record shows. We are excited and we'll be ready to go on Monday."
RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
Tyler Motte gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 7:22 of the first period on a wrist shot from the slot shortly after Shesterkin made two saves in succession.
Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal for a 2-0 lead at 9:51 with a shot from the right face-off circle on the rush.
Chytil made it 3-0 at 3:24 of the second with a shot from the right circle after keeping the puck on a 2-on-1. Kochetkov replaced Raanta after the goal.
"It didn't surprise me," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said of his team's performance. "I knew we'd come out hard and play well. It was a competitive game. We jumped on them early, got a couple-goal lead, so that was key. … The three games in Carolina were different type of games than the three games in New York. Why? I don't know. We open it up, get more scoring chances, but we also give up more. I ask them to play the same way every night."

Skjei got the Hurricanes within 3-1 at 5:05 with a shot from the slot through traffic.
Chytil pushed the lead to 4-1 with his second of the game at 6:47 on a backhand from the left circle.
Trocheck scored on a rebound in front that went in off the knee of Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren to make it 4-2 at 12:47.
Artemi Panarin scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 7:43 of the third period for the 5-2 final.
"They got a couple of power-play goals, we didn't," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "That's also the difference in the game. We had a good power-play start. A lot of good opportunities there. Again, got to find a way to get those in."
Panarin said, "It was a great performance tonight. The guys showed big enthusiasm, great enthusiasm. They played their hearts out and it was just a joy to watch."

The Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers are 6-3 in Game 7 but 6-0 since relocating from Hartford in 1997. Carolina is 3-0 at home, including a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins in the first round.
"Game 7s are Game 7s," Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said. "Obviously it's a big match and we are comfortable [at home], but we're going to need everyone. It's not easy. From the goalie all the way out, everyone's going to have to show up and be ready to battle and obviously be sharp in our details and our puck battles and all that stuff."
The Rangers are 10-6 in Game 7, including 2-5 on the road. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime in the first round at Madison Square Garden.
"We have to find a way to win the game and just play how we play at home," Chytil said. "I know they have good fans, they have the building over there where they're used to, but we have to play hard, we have to play our game and don't focus on any other thing. Just focus on the game and I think we can win the game."
NOTES:Shesterkin became the fifth goalie in NHL playoff history with two assists in a game and the first since Pekka Rinne, who did it for the Nashville Predators against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of the 2017 Western Conference First Round. He has three assists in the playoffs, the most in a postseason since Rinne had that many in 2017. Martin Brodeur holds the NHL record with four in the 2012 playoffs for the New Jersey Devils. … Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow returned after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury sustained when he blocked a shot in Game 1 in the first round. He had one shot on goal, a hit and a blocked shot, going 7-for-14 on face-offs in 13:16 of ice time. He replaced Kevin Rooney. … The Hurricanes were 0-for-3 on the power play and are 1-for-14 in the series.