Rangers eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Hurricanes

Seth Jarvis scored a goal and collected two assists Saturday afternoon in Raleigh N.C. in a 7-3 victory for the Carolina Hurricanes over the New York Rangers, who were eliminated from postseason contention.

The Hurricanes (47-27-5, 99 points) swept the four-game season series from the Rangers, who needed a win and a regulation loss by the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. The Rangers (37-36-7, 81 points) fell to 4-8-1 in their past 13 games and will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season that was reduced to 56 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jarvis scored his ninth goal in his past 17 games and finished with three points for the sixth time this season.

Jayden Chatfield also scored in the first period for the Hurricanes, who were eliminated in six games in the second round last spring by the Rangers. Jackson Blake also scored and had an assist while Sebastian Aho collected a pair of assists.

Mark Jankowski also scored and William Carrier had an assist in his first game since Jan. 4. Jordan Staal netted Carolina's fifth goal early in the third before Jordan Martinook and Logan Stankoven scored empty-net goals.

Will Cuylle scored late in the second for New York. J.T. Miller scored on the power play and Adam Fox also tallied in a span of 2:55 in the third period for the Rangers.

Carolina's Pyotr Kochetkov made 28 saves. New York's Igor Shesterkin allowed five goals on 26 shots.

After there was not a stoppage for the first 11 minutes, the Hurricanes took the lead with 10:58 left in the first by moving the puck around the offensive zone unimpeded.

Dmitry Orlov got the puck from Jarvis and made a cross-ice pass to Chatfield at the right point. Chatfield scored when his shot sailed by Shesterkin, who was screened in front by Stankoven and New York defenseman Will Borgen

The Hurricanes took a 2-0 lead with 2:46 remaining when Aho made a backhanded pass from behind the net to Jarvis, who flipped the puck by Shesterkin from near the left hash marks.

Carolina took a three-goal lead 2:02 into the second when it spent over a minute in the offensive zone and Blake tapped the puck into the open right side of the net.

Jankowski scored with 7:01 left in the second when he was wide open in the slot, got a centering pass from behind the net by Carrier and lifted the puck over Shesterkin.

--Field Level Media