It’s another round of NHL Predictions shortly following the NHL trade deadline that sees the Carolina Hurricanes welcoming the New York Rangers to Raleigh. This is the third and final matchup between these Metro Division foes. Currently, the Rangers lead the Division over the second-place Hurricanes by only a few points. In the season series, each side has won one. But now with the end of the season coming into sight, these two teams are jockeying for playoff positioning within the Division.
New York enters this one following a run of solid play. Both goalies are playing well and they added some depth at the trade deadline by picking up Jack Roslovic and Alexander Wennberg. While Matt Rempe has certainly been a story for the Rangers, they will be without their Captain Jacob Trouba as he is out for a bit with injury.
Meanwhile, Carolina is riding a three-game winning streak. They made some of the biggest moves at the trade deadline this year by getting Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Guentzel has not played yet for Carolina but should be returning from injury very soon, and possibly in this one. Jack Drury is also out with injury. Additionally, they have gotten goaltender Frederik Andersen back from injury which could be a big boost for the playoffs.
This will be a battle of two heavy hitters with the margin for error razor-thin. Here are three keys for a Carolina victory.
NHL Predictions: Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Rangers
Three Keys to Victory for Carolina
A New Look Second Line
Carolina has a new look second line with the addition of Evgeny Kuznetsov. In their last matchup against the Calgary Flames, Kuznetsov centred that line between Stefan Noesen and Martin Necas. While he didn’t get any points, you could see the high-level playmaking that Kuznetsov brings to that line between two players who are not afraid to shoot the puck. Kuznetsov provides a calmness to that line that could help complement Necas’s high-flying style. Carolina’s first line against Calgary had nine points collectively in the big 7-2 win but this second line provided enough of a threat that the Flames couldn’t focus on the first line. If they can bring the same against the Rangers it could be a difference maker. If Kuznetsov could get his first point as a Hurricane, that would be an added bonus.
Post Trade-Deadline Energy
Whenever a team makes a relatively big move at the deadline, the players can sometimes respond in several ways. On one hand, many times they are losing a friendly and familiar face. This can hurt morale and affect chemistry. On the other hand, management taking a swing to bring in some firepower can show the team they believe in them and provide some spark.
Since March 8th, Carolina has seemed to fall into option two so far. While they hated losing Michael Bunting, getting both Guentzel and Kuznetsov has seemed to have electrified the team. They scored seven against the Flames and Guentzel hasn’t even been in the lineup yet. His return should be soon but may not be in this one. Regardless, Carolina needs to keep that positive energy moving forward against the Rangers.
Attack the Net
With Jonathan Quick getting the start the night before against the New Jersey Devils, Igor Shesterkin should see the net in this one for New York. While he started the season somewhat rocky, he has picked his play up of late. With a 2.60 GAA and .912 SV%, Shesterkin is still playing at a high level. Carolina can’t expect to come out and put up another 6-1 victory easily like they did the last time these two met. So if they want to beat a good goaltender, they have to get to the net. Screens, tips, rebounds, and net front traffic is the best way to beat a really good goaltender. While sure guys can snipe at times, clean shots that the goalie can see will likely be easily snagged. With Kuznetsov, you may see some more creative playmaking than Carolina typically implores. But they still need to focus on getting in the dirty areas and getting a few gritty goals here.
Prediction Time
This should be a good matchup between two high-powered teams. Carolina will be playing their third game in four nights while the Rangers will be on the second of a back-to-back. Special teams are almost dead even as well. This has the potential to be a game of inches and one that is hard to predict. With New York coming off the back-to-back and Carolina playing at home let’s give the Hurricanes the nod in this round of predictions. But this one has the potential to be very tight.
Prediction: 2-1 Carolina
Main Photo Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
