Game 2 takeaways: Vincent Trocheck wins double OT thriller for Rangers

NEW YORK – The Rangers have won six straight games to start these playoffs ‒ the first time they’ve accomplished that feat since their 1994 Stanley Cup championship run – with Tuesday’s victory by far the hardest to come by.

They were outplayed for stretches in Game 2 of their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but found a way to weather the storm each time and ultimately gut their way to a 4-3 double overtime victory at Madison Square Garden.

That resiliency and calmness under pressure has been a common thread all season, as evidenced by their NHL-leading 28 comeback wins.

"It’s makeup of the team," captain Jacob Trouba said. "It's been like that for a while, I feel like. There’s never really panic in the in the room, in between periods, whatever it may be. I think we have the confidence, and the confidence is something that you build throughout the course of the year. I don't think we ever feel like we're out of games."

Vincent Trocheck netted the winner with 12:36 remaining in the second OT, giving the do-it-all center a goal in five straight playoff games to tie a franchise record that dates back to Cecil Dillon in 1933.

"I couldn’t tell you what happened," Trocheck said with a dazed grin. "I’ll watch it and let you know."

That ensured these never-say-die Rangers will take a 2-0 series lead on the flight to Carolina for Game 3 on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Canes − who outshot New York, 57-39, and probably deserved better given how well they played − can still make this interesting by protecting home ice. But the Blueshirts, having experienced both the thrill of their 2022 run to the Eastern Conference Final and the disappointment of last year's first-round exit, have emerged with a tighter bond and thicker skin because of it.

They simply don't blink, and that's led to a rousing start to these playoffs.

"They're having fun," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "I do think there's good camaraderie. I think that they play hard for each other in the game. I think they practice hard together. I think they get along well off the ice. It was part of a plan to come in here, and you hope to build something the right way. The players have to really grab onto that, and they have."

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Special teams' dominance continues

Trocheck's winner was yet another clutch moment for the Rangers' top power-play unit, which also produced the game-tying goal from Chris Kreider with 13:53 left in regulation.

They've scored PP goals in five straight games, with at least two in four of those contests, while registering a playoff success rate of 40% (10-for-25).

That ranks second behind the potent Edmonton Oilers (45%), providing the Blueshirts with a weapon the Hurricanes' penalty kill − which ranked No. 1 in the NHL during the regular season − hasn't been able to figure out.

"We do expect to score," Trocheck said of the PP. "So far in this playoff, special teams have been so big. ... We know we're relied on a lot and there's a lot of pressure in that. When we have this confidence, this rhythm, we just want to try to keep doing the same things to keep it going."

Not to be lost in the power-play praise was another stellar showing from the penalty kill.

The Rangers went 5-for-5 on the PK for the second straight game and have posted a 92.6% success rate (25-for-27) through six postseason contests.

"That part of the game is going well right now," Trouba said. "Obviously, that can change. We'd like it to stay this way, but I don't think you can rely on it or want to win games strictly that way. I think we generated a decent amount five-on-five, but when you win the special teams' battle, I think that’s proven to be a key part of NHL hockey."

'Igor-esque'

Have we mentioned yet that Igor Shesterkin finished with 54 saves? That tied him for third most by a Rangers' goalie in the franchise's playoff history.

That tally included stopping each of the final 32 shots he faced, with 15 coming between the two OTs.

Trocheck simply called it "Igor-esque."

"We obviously don’t win that game without him," Trouba said. "That’s Igor. There's not much else you can say. You know the effort, the tenacity, everything that he brings every night. How bad he wants to win and what he brings to the team, I can't really put a measurement on it."

Jake Guentzel's line looks like a problem

Don't go counting the tenacious Hurricanes out just yet.

They represent a couple steps up in class compared to the Rangers' first-round opponent, the Washington Capitals, and got back to what they do best Tuesday. That meant using their speed and swarming forecheck to generate long possessions while peppering Shesterkin with shots from all angles. They finished with 42 shots in regulation after being limited to 25 in Sunday's Game 1 loss, then added another 15 in the two OTs.

"They're a really good team," Laviolette said. "This isn't going to be, control all 60 minutes and move on to the next game. You're going to have to fight just to get your share of half of the minutes to go your way. And that's probably the way it is from here on out. It's playoff hockey."

The Canes were the better team at even strength, showing why they have the reputation as one of the NHL's analytical darlings. They shot themselves in the foot by taking eight penalties, including three in the third period to spoil their chances to close out a win. But when the game was played at five-on-five, they had a 44-28 advantage in shots.

Their top line of Jake Guentzel, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov was in the middle of that effort, with Guentzel scoring a pair of goals on a couple primary assists from Aho. They combined for 14 shots on goal and five high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, and were the best line for either team.

It wasn't quite enough to cost the Rangers the game, but finding ways to slow them down will be a key heading into Game 3.

Peaks and valleys

Laviolette aptly described Game 2 as "a roller coaster."

The Blueshirts got off to a fine start, with Alexis Lafrenière registering his first goal of the playoffs on a top-shelf wrister from the left circle to put New York on top, 1-0, at the 10:53 mark of the opening period. The play was sparked by an active forecheck from Alex Wennberg, who sped in to win a puck battle in the corner and create the goal-scoring possession.

The Rangers rode that momentum for a few minutes, holding the volume-shooting Hurricanes without a shot on goal for a span of 5:29. But that drought was suddenly snapped when Guentzel tipped a long slap shot from Aho past Shesterkin to knot the score at 1-1 with 4:53 remaining in the period.

Dmitry Orlov scored on another tip, this one on a feed from former Ranger Brady Skjei, to give Carolina a 2-1 lead with only five seconds to go until first intermission.

That was the first of two goals the Blueshirts would allow in the final two minutes of a period.

It also set the tone for the Canes getting back to their high-octane identity. After being credited with six high-danger scoring chances in the entirety of Game 1, they racked up eight HDCF in the first period of Game 2 alone.

"There's going to be peaks and valleys," Laviolette said. "I’m glad that when the wave was rolling up and down, we were able to push it back up again."

Alexis Lafrenière steps up

Carolina continued to push for offense in the second period, including a furious sequence that featured six shots in 31 seconds.

But the Rangers flipped momentum again thanks to an outstanding play from Adam Fox. He's looked hobbled to begin this series, but not on this particular shift.

The 26-year-old defenseman danced deep into the Canes' zone and found Lafrenière charging the net for his second goal of the game.

Lafrenière, who’s coming off a breakout 57-point regular season, finished with five shots on eight attempts in what was certainly his best game so far in these playoffs.

"It's just a continuation of his regular season," Laviolette said. "There's good chemistry on that line (with Trocheck and Artemi Panarin). It has not been touched the entire year. I haven’t moved any pieces in or out in different directions. He was going tonight, so when a player is going and you can see it – and I saw it – you want them out there."

That tied the score at 2-2 at the 7:32 mark of the second period, with the deadlock holding until Guentzel and Aho made their second connection of the night.

It started with Trouba − who had a roller-coaster game himself, including a game highs in blocks (nine) and penalties (three), plus a dangerous missed hit on Martin Necas that quickly turned into an internet meme − flinging an ill-advised pass into the middle of the neutral zone, which was intercepted by Tony DeAngelo and pushed ahead to Aho. The Carolina center absorbed a couple hits along the boards before making a heads-up pass to a streaking Guentzel for a one-timer that made it 3-2 Canes with 1:42 remaining in the second period.

The Hurricanes continued to buzz in the third, particularly when the game was played at 5v5, but a costly tripping call against Orlov put the Rangers' humming power play on the ice with 14:38 to play. Kreider capitalized by pouncing on a Trocheck rebound for a power-play goal, leading to the third tie of the game, this time at 3-3.

Nearly two full periods later, Trocheck capped the marathon evening by batting in an Artemi Panarin rebound for his second point of the night and fifth goal of the playoffs. He led all skaters with 35:21 time on ice − a rare feat for a forward − while registering six shots on 15 attempts. It was an uncharacteristically off night for the 30-year-old in the faceoff circle (13-for-34, 38%), but he remained an all-around force.

"He just keeps answering the bell," Laivolette said. "He was noticeable. He's engaged. You can see it in the way in his demeanor, and you can see it in the way he's playing the game."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Game 2 takeaways: Vincent Trocheck wins double OT thriller for Rangers