Hurricanes Try to Become First Team to Advance Against Rangers

The New York Rangers are on the brink of elimination from the 2020 NHL playoffs and will look to avoid getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday as solid underdogs in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference qualifying-round matchup.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The chances of a sweep seem likely in this spot, and the betting public has acknowledged that possibility by backing Carolina in early action. The Hurricanes have been bet up as high as -150 at some sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark while the total opened at the same number as Game 2 on Monday. New York has managed three goals through the first two contests.

New York News & Notes

The Henrik Lundqvist era appears to be coming to an end. He has surrendered seven goals on 71 shots in two losses during this series after going a perfect 3-0 with a 2.33 goals-against average vs Carolina during the regular season. Lundqvist’s best days are clearly behind him, so it would not be surprising to see a goaltender change in an effort to shake things up.

The Rangers have a brighter future with Igor Shesterkin between the pipes, although he was deemed unfit to play heading into the playoffs. But either he or fellow Russian Alexandar Georgiev would be an upgrade over the future Hall of Famer Lundqvist at this point. There is no doubt that scoring is also an issue for this team, so tallying the first goal and avoiding a second straight 3-1 deficit would help too.

Carolina News & Notes

The Hurricanes saw 20-year-old Andrei Svechnikov put together the first postseason hat trick in franchise history in Carolina’s 4-1 Game 2 win, as he scored the first goal at 4:32 of the first period and added one more in the second and another in the third. Jordan Martinook also scored a goal in the second period to give Carolina a commanding 3-1 lead, and the team never looked back.

Petr Mrazek was solid in goal as well, stopping 23 of 24 shots to earn another victory. Mrazek should expect to see New York’s best effort in Game 3, although his teammates have backed him up by becoming road warriors with five straight wins away from home.

Betting Pick: Hurricanes -145

The Hurricanes are enjoying another successful postseason so far, and they are rewarding their backers in the process. Carolina made it all the way to the Eastern Conference final a year ago, and the team is playing a similar style of hockey in pushing New York to the brink. The Hurricanes have what it takes to sweep and will do so here.