Shesterkin gets 2nd straight shutout, Rangers defeat Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Igor Shesterkin made 28 saves in his second straight shutout for the New York Rangers, a 1-0 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

Adam Fox scored for the Rangers (43-18-4), who have won three in a row and are six points ahead of the second-place Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division.

“We knew it was going to be a test for us, and I thought we came out in the first real hard,” Fox said. “They had their chances and zone time, but I thought we battled hard. It was a huge win for us.”

The Rangers were playing their third game in four nights.

“They were awesome tonight,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said of his players. “Traveling here and playing a team that’s playing as well as they are and (after) playing the night before, the guys really stepped up and played a terrific game. Heck of a win against a good hockey team.”

The shutout was the third of the season for Shesterkin, who made 26 saves in a 4-0 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. New York won 3-1 against the New Jersey Devils on Monday with Jonathan Quick in net.

“It’s a huge win for us,” Shesterkin said. “We did a great job. Well deserved.”

Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves for the Hurricanes (39-20-6), whose three-game winning streak ended.

“The first period, we were not ready for what they threw at us,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “There’s a reason they’re one of the top teams and they showed it. In the third, we didn’t generate enough to really put the heat on them.”

Jake Guentzel made his Carolina debut after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. The forward had one shot, two hits and one blocked shot in 15:12 of ice time. He had not played since Feb. 14 because of an upper-body injury. 

“It just felt all right,” Guentzel said. “It’s a fast game. This team plays fast. You’ve got to make sure you’re at your top speed at all times. Definitely, I think there’s more.”

The Rangers took a 1-0 lead with eight seconds left in the first period when Fox fired a one-timer on a rebound that came off the right boards. His shot redirected off the left skate of Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei and through Kochetkov’s five-hole.

“I knew it was the end of the period,” Fox said. “You’re always looking to see if you can pinch in as the defenseman as the time winds down. I was kind of looking to maybe hit [Jack Roslovic], bank it off him or something [but] I got a good bounce off the D-man.”

New York outshot Carolina 11-5 in the first period. 

“We played really well defensively,” Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck said. “Playing with the lead is something you need to be able to do going into the playoffs, and I think we did a good job getting a goal early. Then we limited their chances, limited them through the neutral zone with their speed and kept most of their offensive-zone play to the outside.”

The Hurricanes outshot the Rangers 23-13 in the second and third periods, testing Shesterkin, who made a handful of tough saves. He stopped Guentzel with the right pad from in close at 5:12 of the third period and a net-front tip by Sebastian Aho with 1:38 left.

“I think it's more easy for me (to protect a 1-0 lead) because you concentrate more on the puck,” Shesterkin said. “And to be honest, today was my mom’s birthday, so I couldn’t play a bad game tonight.”

NOTES: New York forward Matt Rempe was suspended for four games earlier Tuesday for elbowing New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler on Monday. ... The shutout was the Rangers’ fifth of the season. ... New York is 20-10-4 on the road and became the fourth team with that many road wins this season (Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks). … In his past 22 games, Kochetkov is 13-6-2 with a 1.98 goals-against average, a .928 save percentage and two shutouts. … Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen’s seven-game point streak ended.