Vincent Trocheck's power-play goal at 7:24 of the second overtime lifted the New York Rangers to a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Second Round series on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
In a pulsating back-and-forth affair, the Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime, before Trocheck delivered the decisive blow on a power play to give New York a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Hurricanes struck first, with Andrei Svechnikov opening the scoring just 4:24 into the game. Jesper Fast responded for the Rangers at 13:17, but Nino Niederreiter restored Carolina's lead 1:06 later.
The Rangers took control of the second period, outshooting the Hurricanes 15-4 and tying the game on a goal by Chris Kreider at 12:08. However, the Hurricanes regained the lead when Teuvo Teravainen scored at 16:45.
In the third period, the Rangers ramped up the pressure and finally broke through when Kreider scored his second of the night at 8:37. The Hurricanes regained the lead again on a goal by Sebastian Aho at 13:49, but the Rangers refused to go down quietly.
With just 4:35 remaining in regulation, Mika Zibanejad scored a power-play goal to tie the game once more. The Rangers continued to push, but the Hurricanes held them off and forced overtime.
In the first overtime, both teams had chances to end the game, but neither could capitalize. In the second overtime, the Rangers finally got the break they needed when Ethan Bear was called for tripping Zibanejad at 5:04.
Trocheck made the Hurricanes pay for the penalty, one-timing a pass from Zibanejad past Frederik Andersen to send the crowd into a frenzy. The victory gives the Rangers a commanding lead in the series, which moves to Raleigh for Game 3 on Monday night.
For the Rangers, Trocheck's goal was a huge moment, as it came just minutes after the Hurricanes had taken the lead. "It was a big goal," Trocheck said. "We needed a win, and we found a way to get it."
Kreider, who now has four goals in the playoffs, said the team's never-say-die attitude was the key to the victory. "We just kept fighting," Kreider said. "We knew we could come back, and we did."
For the Hurricanes, the loss was a disappointing setback, but they vowed to bounce back in Game 3. "We're still confident in our team," Aho said. "We just have to find a way to get the next one."
Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Monday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. ET.
