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Frustration abounds as Hurricanes’ offense grinds away at nothing against the Rangers

The frustration boiled over, visibly, when the normally mild-mannered Jordan Staal followed referee Eric Furlatt half the length of the ice complaining that Andrei Svechnikov got the only penalty out of an altercation with Alexis Lafreniere.

Staal isn’t often that emphatic or persistent, and the call itself was immaterial. The Hurricanes were down three goals in the third period, and very little in their play to that point suggested they were capable of closing the gap. It was a tangible manifestation of the Carolina Hurricanes’ inner turmoil that has very little to do with the New York Rangers, and everything to do with themselves.

They have turned another 2-0 lead into another three-game series, what Ian Cole earlier Tuesday called squandering opportunities to put a “stranglehold” on the series. They did it against the Boston Bruins and they have done it, now, against the Rangers. And the root of their issues this time is the most basic in hockey: They’re just not finishing the chances they create.

It’s the goals, stupid.

Tuesday, that led to a 4-1 loss, and as easy as it would be to point to a bad start and another anemic effort on the power play, the reality is the Hurricanes had more than enough opportunities to score the goals that would have let them take control of the game and the series, and it was on them as much as it was on Igor Shesterkin.

New York Rangers center Frank Vatrano (77) celebrates after scoring on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta in the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
New York Rangers center Frank Vatrano (77) celebrates after scoring on Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta in the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Oh, the Hurricanes had chances. Brett Pesce had a point-blank look and a chance to set the tone early but took too long to pull the trigger (glove save). Seth Jarvis, one of very few Hurricanes on his game from the start, set up Teuvo Teravainen at the far post but Teravainen failed to elevate the puck (pad save). Martin Necas hit the post on an otherwise dismal power play (heavy metal).

It wasn’t even that Shesterkin was that otherworldly. He was … good. He made some nice stops. He gave up some big rebounds the Hurricanes couldn’t reach. He was not spectacular — nor was he really asked to be.

“I’m confident that eventually they’re going to find a way in the back of the net,” Sebastian Aho said. “Maybe in the forward group we can do a little better to be in his eyes. There’s still loose pucks out there for those second and thirds, dirty goals. You get one of those, you get confidence, and all of a sudden you get all kinds of goals.”

There’s no getting around the fact that possession and chances and all of that is just smoke and mirrors without the goals to go with it. And while it’s possible to console oneself during the regular season that it will all even out in the wash, everyone knows there isn’t always enough time in the postseason.

Because only one thing actually counts in this game, as much as we can detect trends and flow from crunching all the other numbers: Get it across the line, and more often than the other guys. And for everything else the Hurricanes are doing right in this series, there’s not much you can do if that’s the battle you’re losing.

The Hurricanes certainly lost other battles Tuesday night — the Rangers’ second goal, the real backbreaker, came after just about every player on the roster had a chance to clear — but when you’re just not scoring, it all comes down to that.

It’s bad enough that the Hurricanes’ power play — one of the best in the NHL during the regular season — has turned into a net negative. But if the Hurricanes aren’t going to finish the chances they create at even strength, not only are they never going to win a playoff game on the road, they’re asking for trouble at home.

And while that becomes one of those if-we-knew-what-was-wrong-we-would-already-have-fixed-it issues, there are things that can be done. As married as Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been to his lines, there are situations that call for it, as a wake-up call as much as a strategy. The Hurricanes are almost too comfortable, secure in the knowledge that they’re following the game plan and winning analytically while losing on the ice.

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta (32) reacts after giving up a goal to New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) in the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Antti Raanta (32) reacts after giving up a goal to New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad (93) in the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Then there’s the thing no one wants to talk about. Confidence can come and go, not only among players but up and down a roster. And as much as your best players have to be your best players — you may have heard that before — that can be true from top to bottom.

You can see that in a team that starts to second-guess its own goaltender, which is certainly not the case with Antti Raanta. But you can also see it in a team that starts mythologize the opposing goaltender, even entirely subconsciously. That certainly happened last year against Andrei Vasilevskiy, although the Hurricanes were neither the first nor the last to find themselves in that particular predicament.

Given that the Hurricanes have gotten all of five goals past Shesterkin in four games, they’re probably fortunate even to be even.

“It feels exactly like last year against Tampa, to be honest with you,” Brind’Amour said, bringing up that comparison on his own, unprompted. “It’s very similar, where you get going and you get a chance and” — Brind’Amour shrugged — “you know? That’s what these good teams this time of year, that’s what they have. And then the power play. It’s eerily similar.”

The Hurricanes finally broke through in the third when Teravainen picked a corner on Shesterkin off a feed from Aho, but that didn’t break anything loose Tuesday. Perhaps it will Thursday. Or Saturday, since the Hurricanes now have bought themselves a return trip to New York, again playing with fire.

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