Rangers force Game 7 as Hurricanes lose on the road again

That home/road Hurricanes pattern continued, and from the way the Rangers controlled Game 6, Carolina has to hope it continues until the 2022 Eastern Conference Final. The Rangers once again responded to being on the brink of elimination, beating the Hurricanes 5-2 to force a Game 7 (Monday, 8 p.m. ET).

That home/road pattern opened up a new, specific Hurricanes record. Via ESPN, the Hurricanes became the first NHL team in playoff history to trail by multiple goals in their first six road postseason games.

ESPN noted strong Game 7 work from both the Hurricanes and Rangers:

It’s been 13 years since the Rangers lost a Game 7 on the road. Carolina has never lost a home Game 7, and its last Game 7 loss was 30 years ago as the Whalers

— Pat Pickens (@Pat_Pickens) May 29, 2022

Speaking of history, the Hurricanes hope they can keep at least one other pattern going. They’ve never lost a series (nine series wins) once they’ve managed a 3-2 lead. The (perhaps-too?) rested Lightning will await the winner of a Game 7 after sweeping their series.

It’s been rare for Antti Raanta to look shaky during the Hurricanes – Rangers series, but he fought through a tough start to Game 6. Ultimately, he wouldn’t get a chance to try to generate a strong finish.

After Igor Shesterkin stopped Sebastian Aho’s breakaway attempt, Raanta gave up a soft goal to Tyler Motte:

Tyler Motte (@tmotte_14) gets the party started on a Saturday night!