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The Carolina Hurricanes have not lost at home during the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.
They will put that perfect mark inside PNC Arena on the line on Monday in Game 7 against the New York Rangers.
The winner of the Eastern Conference second-round series advances to the conference final round to take on a well-rested Tampa Bay Lightning squad.
Any thoughts about the Lightning can wait until after Monday night. The Hurricanes need to rebound after giving up the largest goal total of the series in Game 6.
New York has all the momentum in the series after its 5-2 win inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
The Rangers’ road problem in the series has been scoring. They were limited to two goals in Games 1, 2 and 5.
Carolina has not exactly been an offensive powerhouse at home. The Canes scored seven goals in the three games.
That output and the performance of Igor Shesterkin should give the Rangers a good amount of hope heading into Monday’s series-deciding clash.
Rangers-Hurricanes Game 7 Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Money Line: New York Rangers (+125; bet $100 to win $125); Carolina (-145; bet $145 to win $100)
Over/Under: 5
Puck Line: New York (+1.5; -210), Carolina (-1.5; +175)
Carolina Trying To Stay Perfect At Home
Carolina is 7-0 at home and 0-6 on the road in the postseason.
Those numbers suggest that the Hurricanes will win Game 7 over the New York Rangers and have an edge against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Carolina had the most regular-season points of the three remaining teams in the Eastern Conference.
Carolina’s defense has been impeccable inside PNC Arena. The Hurricanes held the Boston Bruins to six goals in the first round in home games. Boston did not score more than two goals in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Rangers scored once in Game 1 and once in Game 5. They were shutout in Game 2. The lack of scoring as an away team does not bode well for New York.
Carolina’s offense only scored seven times on home ice against the Rangers. It produced 18 tallies against the Bruins. It had 10 goals alone from the first two games of the opening round series.
The key to the defensive success has been limiting the shot output of the travelling side. The Rangers had 17 shots in Game 5. Carolina doubled that amount with 34 attempts.
That was the most dramatic difference in shot totals in the three games played in Carolina. The Rangers had more shots in Game 1 and one fewer attempt in Game 2.
A Rangers win is not as unrealistic as you may think with Carolina’s home form, but they need to match Carolina’s defensive output. That effort starts with Igor Shesterkin in net.
Igor Shesterkin Steals Show
Shesterkin has been solid in net for the Rangers throughout the series.
The Russian’s production increased once the series shifted to Madison Square Garden for the first time.
He made 44 saves in Games 1 and 2 combined and 43 saves in Game 3 alone.
Shesterkin turned away 37 shots in Saturday’s Game 6 victory, and he needs to turn in a similar performance to give the Rangers a fighting chance in North Carolina.
New York could be limited when it comes to scoring opportunities, so the 26-year-old needs to keep the game within one goal.
That is a possible scenario since Shesterkin has gotten better as the series progressed, and he already has one strong Game 7 performance this postseason.
He turned away 31 shots in the Rangers’ Game 7 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
The experience gained from the initial Game 7 could be a huge boost for Shesterkin as he plays this series-deciding contest in enemy territory.
New York should be competitive, and if the netminder shines, it could end Carolina’s dominant home form.
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