Svechnikov hat trick helps Hurricanes top Rangers in Game 2 of Qualifiers

Andrei Svechnikov got his first NHL hat trick, and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within one win of advancing into the Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating the New York Rangers 4-1 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.

"I'm excited to score my first hat trick, especially on a superstar goalie," Svechnikov said, referring to Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. "I mean, I wouldn't do that without my partner. Thanks for that, and I think we played a really good game."

His partner, Sebastian Aho, had an assist on each of Svechnikov's goals. Jordan Martinook scored, and Petr Mrazek made 23 saves to give Carolina, the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series.

WATCH: [All Hurricanes vs. Rangers highlights]

Teams with a 2-0 lead are 55-1 (98.2 percent) winning a best-of-5 NHL series (39-1 when last used from 1980-86). The New York Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals in a 1985 series.

The Hurricanes have yet to trail the Rangers in this series. Game 3 is in Toronto, the hub city for the Eastern Confernce, on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, MSG, FS-CR).

"Give them credit, they're playing smart hockey, they're playing experienced playoff hockey," Rangers coach David Quinn said. "Between now and tomorrow night at 8 o'clock we have to learn we can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot. I mean, our lack of patience is killing us right now. Was it better than it was the other [day]? Yeah, it was, but we didn't come here to get incrementally better. We came here to win hockey games and we're not doing enough. We need everybody in that room to just be a little bit smarter, a little bit more patient, work a little bit harder, win more wall battles. All these things add up."

Artemi Panarin scored, and Lundqvist made 30 saves for the Rangers, No. 11 in the East, in his second start because Igor Shesterkin is day to day. As part of the NHL Return to Play Plan, a team is not permitted to disclose player injury or illness information.

It's not clear if Shesterkin will be available for Game 3.

"We haven't made an announcement yet," Quinn said. "We haven't decided yet internally what we're going to do tomorrow."

Svechnikov became the 10th player in NHL history with at least two multigoal games in the postseason before his 21st birthday. The 20-year-old also scored two goals against the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round.

He's the fifth player in Carolina/Hartford Whalers history to score at least two goals in two postseason games, joining Kevin Dineen (four), Eric Staal (three), Ray Whitney (three) and Rod Brind'Amour (two), who is the Hurricanes coach.

"He's built like an ox and he can skate and shoot and does everything fast, and thinks the game well," Martinook said. "And I'm pumping his tires pretty good right now, but I've got nothing, he's special. So yeah, it's fun to watch him, and it's going to be a lot of fun to watch him for the next couple months here."

Svechnikov gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at 4:32 of the first period, scoring on a quick shot from the left circle that beat Lundqvist on the short side.

Mrazek kept it 1-0 with a glove save on Brett Howden's point-blank shot from the slot at 8:11.

The Rangers tied it 1-1 with Panarin's 5-on-3 power-play goal at 12:05, but Mrazek kept it tied with another perfectly positioned glove save on Mika Zibanejad's chance off the rush during a Rangers power play at 16:55.

"I saw the puck really well today, especially the first period," Mrazek said. "The glove I think really set the tone for myself there today."

The Hurricanes scored twice in the first 2:22 of the second period to take a 3-1 lead.

Svechnikov scored his second of the game at 1:11, three seconds into a power play, making it 2-1 with a high, far-side one-timer from the top of the right circle. Martinook scored 1:11 later to give Carolina a 3-1 lead.

Quinn said he could sense the Rangers getting deflated on the bench after the Hurricanes scored the two goals in 71 seconds.

"It really just changed the whole game," he said. "I liked our first period. I thought we did a lot of the things we need to do. We have been a mentally tough, resilient group and a two-goal deficit never has bothered us in the last two and a half months [of the regular season], but it certainly got in the way today."

The Hurricanes smothered the Rangers for most of the third period, limiting them to seven shots on goal while generating 16. Svechnikov finished on a 2-on-1 with Aho to make it 4-1 at 14:02.

"It's his first hat trick but I think you'll get a few more before his time is over in his career, so he's a gamer too," Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. "I mean this guy is one of those players in this break that worked on his game. He wanted to get better and I think you're seeing that."