North Raleigh Today

The Carolina Hurricanes staved off elimination with a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. The game, held at PNC Arena on Saturday, saw the Hurricanes finally break through on the power play after going 0-for-16 in the series.

Brady Skjei scored the decisive power-play goal late in the third period. "Giving up that lead was tough, but [it's] nice to finally get one on the power play," Skjei said. "Obviously it was a huge goal at the time. I was pretty jacked up."

The Rangers tied it earlier in the third period when Mika Zibanejad carried the puck below the goal line and backhanded a shot off Frederik Andersen's back and into the net. Andersen commented, "I was trying to get back and it didn’t work out that time."

Despite leading 3-1 in this best-of-seven series, New York could not secure a sweep. Game 5 is scheduled for Monday night in New York.

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour acknowledged his team's struggles despite their win: “For us, of the four (games) that we’ve played, it might have been our least effective game overall.” However, he emphasized resilience: “But we live to fight another day.”

New York defenseman Jacob Trouba remarked on missed opportunities: "A couple breakdowns, they capitalized on their opportunities." Coach Peter Laviolette noted his team’s readiness but conceded some defensive lapses led to Carolina’s goals.

Sebastian Aho contributed significantly with an early goal and described his team’s aggressive start as crucial: “We’re two goals up after the first, so we did what we needed to do.”

As both teams prepare for Game 5, forward Barclay Goodrow remains optimistic about New York's chances moving forward: "Go home, reset and focus on winning one game."

The Hurricanes are aiming to build momentum after losing each of their previous three games by one goal. Jake Guentzel stated his belief in continuing strong performances throughout this tightly contested series.

Rangers forward Chris Kreider added perspective following their first postseason loss after sweeping Washington Capitals: "We've just got to keep going and hope for a better start."

Notably during this match-up against Carolina - Mika Zibanejad extended his playoff point streak while teammate Alexis Lafreniere ended theirs along others like Vincent Trocheck having rough nights defensively which may affect lineup decisions ahead next matchup.