Georgiev makes season-high 44 saves, Rangers shut out Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Alexandar Georgiev made a season-high 44 saves, and the New York Rangers ended the Carolina Hurricanes' 14-game home point streak with a 2-0 win at PNC Arena on Sunday.

"It felt pretty great," Georgiev said. "It's been a long time since I've had a game like that, where it's been not a lot of goals in a tight game until the end. I tried to enjoy that and be in the moment."
Chris Kreider scored his 41st goal of the season for the Rangers (40-18-5), who have won four of five, including 2-1 at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
"We're lucky today," New York coach Gerard Gallant said. "I'd like to say we came in here and played a great game, but last night was a great game. Tonight was a great goaltender who was unbelievable. We were a tired hockey team. They were all over us. They dominated, but we found a way to get two points."

Frederik Andersen made 16 saves for the Hurricanes (41-15-6), who have lost a season-high four in a row (0-3-1).
"That was probably one of our better games all year," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Their goalie played great. That's end of story. Everything we wanted to do, for the most part, we did. We just didn't get rewarded tonight.
"Everyone is working so hard, and you should be rewarded more for that. I think it will work itself out as we keep going, but you can't change what we're doing."
Kreider gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 15:39 of the second period when he redirected Jacob Trouba's shot from the left point.
Frank Vatrano scored an empty-net goal with 42 seconds remaining in the third period for the 2-0 final. It was his first point in three games since being acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
"That room is a bunch of will and knowing what it takes to win," Vatrano said. "I've paid close attention to them and played against them a bunch. They're a hard team to play against. They have a great mix of everyone in this lineup. I'm happy to be here and be a part of it and help this team win."

Carolina outshot New York 14-3 in the first period, and the Rangers' minus-26 shot differential was their second largest of the season.
"Today was probably one of my worst days on the bench," Gallant said. "I'm trying to push. In my mind, I know they're tired, but I'm not going to give in. It was 60 minutes, and that's their job. I love our guys. We competed hard, but there wasn't a lot in the tank today."
NOTES:The 44 saves were the second most in a shutout in Rangers history. Henrik Lundqvist made 45 saves in a 1-0 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 12, 2010. … Kreider is tied with the Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers for second in the NHL in goals behind Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (46). … The Rangers were outshot by the Panthers 45-18 in a 4-3 win on Nov. 8. … The Hurricanes were 12-0-2 in their past 14 home games, one shy of their record (14-0-1 from Dec. 13, 2005-Jan. 28, 2006). … Carolina defenseman Tony DeAngelo was minus-1 with two shots in 17:38 of ice time after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. … The Hurricanes power play was 0-for-3 and is 0-for-15 in their past six games. … New York's streak of five games with a power-play goal ended (0-for-2). … Carolina forward Nino Niederreiter did not play. He was serving his one-game suspension for slashing Washington Capitals forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby on Friday.