2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Rangers second-round preview

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features eight teams in four best-of-7 series, which start Tuesday.
Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference Second Round between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers.

(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (2M) New York Rangers

Hurricanes:54-20-8 (116 points), defeated Boston Bruins 4-3 in first round
Rangers:52-24-6 (110 points), defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in first round
Season series: CAR 2-1-0; NYR 1-2-0
Game 1:Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS)
The Hurricanes spent most of April fending off the Rangers to keep a hold on first place in the Metropolitan Division. They even defeated them twice in a span of two weeks.
That's arguably the biggest reason why Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round are at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, instead of Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Hurricanes won 4-2 on April 12 and 4-3 on April 26.
The Hurricanes advanced to the second round after defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games. The Rangers also needed seven games to eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming back from 3-1 down in the best-of-7 series.
"We just played them not too long ago, I don't think teams are changing too much," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It's got them where they're at. That's why they're successful. I think both teams understand what the other team is trying to do. It always comes down to execution."
RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Rangers series coverage]
The Hurricanes executed better than the Rangers in the four games they played during the regular season. The only one New York won was 2-0 on March 20, when Carolina had a 44-18 advantage in shots on goal and were shut out by backup goalie Alexandar Georgiev.
Georgiev is only expected to play in this series if Igor Shesterkin is pulled from a game, like he was twice in the first round, or if he is injured. Shesterkin is the Rangers starter and has been their best player all season, which is why he's a finalist for the Vezina Trophy and the Hart Trophy. He's also coming off a 39-save performance in a 4-3 win against the Penguins in Game 7 on Sunday.
"He's done that all year for us," New York center Mika Zibanejad said. "He really gives us a chance to win every game. We trust him. He has such a calm presence back there. It just gives us that confidence to go get that next one."
The Hurricanes have six players who used to play for the Rangers, including Game 1 starting goalie Antti Raanta, who is expected to play the entire series because Frederik Andersen remains out with a lower-body injury.
Raanta started six of the seven games in the first round, going 3-2 with a 2.37 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
"He is the guy," Brind'Amour said. "Until 'Freddie' even touches the ice, it's not even a conversation. Antti's obviously just been great, so it's an easy [decision]."
The Hurricanes and Rangers have met in the postseason once before, the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers. Carolina swept New York in the best-of-5 series, winning three games by a combined score of 11-4, including 4-1 in Game 3, Shesterkin's first NHL playoff game.
But to take much out of that and bring it into this series is almost impossible. Those games were played without fans in attendance at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Hurricanes were coming off a trip to the conference final in 2019. The Rangers weren't in position to make the playoffs when the 2019-20 season was paused due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. They went to Toronto because the NHL extended the playoff field to the top 12 teams in each conference.
"We played them four times this year and they outplayed us in at least three of those games for sure; it means nothing to me right now," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "We're a confident team right now. We feel good about our team."

Game breakers

Sebastian Aho: The center had five points (two goals, three assists) in the first round against the Bruins and has led the Hurricanes in scoring for five straight seasons, including 81 points (37 goals, 44 assists) this season. Aho was limited to two assists in the last five games against the Bruins but could be due for a breakout in the second round based on his playoff history. He has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 41 playoff games, eight points (three goals, five assists) in nine total games played in the second round.
Zibanejad: He was at his best in Games 6 and 7 against the Penguins, scoring four points (two goals, two assists) in Game 6 and three (one goal, two assists) in Game 7, when he also won 18 of 25 face-offs (72.0 percent). Zibanejad was held to no goals and four assists in the first five games, but when the Rangers needed their top center to deliver, he did in a massive way to help them get to the second round. Zibanejad had 81 points (29 goals, 52 assists) in 81 regular-season games. He had five points (one goal, four assists) against Carolina, at least one in each of the four games.

Goaltending

Hurricanes:Raanta was thrust into the No. 1 role before the playoffs began because of Andersen's injury sustained against the Colorado Avalanche on April 16. He made 27 saves in Game 7, a 3-2 win. Andersen is not expected to play in this series, so the backup is rookie Pyotr Kochetkov, who played two games in the first round, starting one, and allowed six goals on 60 shots (.900 save percentage). Kochetkov made 31 saves in Carolina's 4-3 win against New York on April 26.
Rangers:Shesterkin was busier in the first round than any Rangers goalie in history. He made 252 saves in seven games, the most in team history and sixth-most in a single playoff round by any goalie since 1955-56, when shots on goal were first tracked in the NHL. Shesterkin was pulled from Games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh, when he allowed 10 goals on 45 shots in three periods. He rebounded with three straight wins to finish the series with a .910 save percentage, .917 in Games 5-7 (nine goals on 108 shots).

Numbers to know

Hurricanes:They outscored the Bruins 18-6 in their four home games, winning all four. They were outscored 14-6 in the three games in Boston and lost them all. Carolina's top two scorers in the first round were defensemen Jaccob Slavin (two goals, six assists) and Tony DeAngelo (one goal, seven assists). The power play went 5-for-36 (13.9 percent) with one shorthanded goal against and allowed six power-play goals (23-for-29, 79.3 percent) in the first round. The Hurricanes drew 42 penalties, 19 more than the Rangers did in the same number of games. They averaged nearly nine more shots on goal per game than New York in the regular-season series (35.0-26.3).
Rangers:They became the first team in playoff history to have three straight comeback wins in elimination games in the same series. Adam Fox tied Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche) for the most points among defensemen in the first round with 10. Fox had at least one point in all seven games, becoming the fourth defenseman in NHL history to do that. New York averaged the fourth-most shots on goal per game in the first round (38.6) but allowed the most (44.3).

X-factors

Hurricanes:Vincent Trocheck had seven points (three goals, four assists) in the first round against the Bruins. Carolina's second-line center had three of them on the power play, all assists. The Rangers will have to focus on Aho and his line with Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis, but they can't sleep on Trocheck because his speed, ability to play a straight-line game, control the forecheck and impact the power play and special teams could make him a nightmare for New York in this series.
Rangers:Tyler Motte missed the first five games against the Penguins recovering from an upper-body injury he sustained April 7. New York missed his speed, physicality on the forecheck and aggressive two-way game. Motte returned for Games 6 and 7 and the difference was noticeable with the Rangers using him in various situations, including on the fourth line, the first line and on the top penalty kill unit with center Kevin Rooney. Motte may not score a goal in this series but if he's playing with speed, he's going to make a difference.

They said it

"I don't think they look at our team and say, 'Well, this is going to be an easy series.' I think when we're ready to play we're as good a team as any in this league and we've proven that. We're never going to quick. We're going to battle hard. I think it's going to be a [heck] of a series." -- Rangers coach Gerard Gallant
"They've got a lot of firepower, and they've added some more firepower to the group post-deadline. I think we've got more firepower. The list goes on and on, on our team. We've got 'D' that can do it and we've got great goaltending." -- Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo

Will win if ...

Hurricanes: They limit turnovers that fuel the Rangers' opportunistic offense and defend well against their power play. New York didn't need much time or space to make things happen at even strength or with the man-advantage. They are loaded with skill and thrive on the opponent's mistakes. Carolina won't play a perfect game, nor does it have to, but it can't give New York anything free either.
Rangers:Shesterkin must be better, and New York has to win the special teams battle in the second round, particularly with their potent power play that was 31.6 percent against the Penguins. To give themselves a chance, the Rangers must withstand the Hurricanes' aggressive forecheck and make them play in the defensive zone. Carolina thrives on its ability to play north, apply pressure, smother opponents and sustain puck possession time in the offensive zone. The Rangers need to beat the Hurricanes at their own game.

How they look

Hurricanes projected lineup
Andrei Svechnikov -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Max Domi -- Vincent Trocheck -- Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter -- Jordan Staal -- Jesper Fast
Steven Lorentz -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Martin Necas
Jaccob Slavin -- Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Brendan Smith -- Ian Cole
Antti Raanta
Pyotr Kochetkov
Scratched:Derek Stepan, Ethan Bear, Jack LaFontaine
Injured:Frederik Andersen (lower body), Jordan Martinook (lower body)
Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Frank Vatrano
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Andrew Copp
Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Kaapo Kakko
Tyler Motte -- Kevin Rooney -- Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Justin Braun -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Alexandar Georgiev
Scratched:Libor Hajek, Patrik Nemeth, Jonny Brodzinski, Julien Gauthier, Greg McKegg, Dryden Hunt
Injured:Barclay Goodrow (lower body)