One more win, anywhere, and they're in the Conference Finals
In the long arc of playoff hockey, where momentum is everything and home ice can feel like destiny, the Carolina Hurricanes moved to within one victory of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night, defeating the New York Rangers 3-1 at PNC Arena to claim a 3-2 series lead. Their dominance at home — seven straight playoff wins, a franchise record — stands as a testament to what this team has built in Raleigh, even as the road remains an unsolved riddle. The series now shifts to New York, where the Rangers, seasoned survivors, will try to extend a story that Carolina is eager to end.
- Carolina's power play had been a quiet embarrassment for two months — 0 for 9 in this series alone — until Teuvo Teravainen finally broke the drought in the second period, turning the game's tension into a decisive 2-1 lead.
- A disallowed Ryan Strome goal, overturned on Carolina's offsides challenge, snuffed out New York's best chance to seize momentum and illustrated just how little margin the Rangers have been given.
- The Hurricanes outshot New York 34-17 and controlled the game so thoroughly that their goaltender faced only 16 shots — a number that speaks less to luck than to systematic suffocation.
- Carolina's road record — 0-5 in this series despite being one of the NHL's best road teams in the regular season — looms as the one unresolved contradiction standing between them and the Conference Finals.
- The Rangers, who clawed back from a 3-1 deficit against Pittsburgh and won two straight at home to stay alive here, carry into Game 6 the one credential that still matters: they know how to survive.
The Carolina Hurricanes left PNC Arena on Thursday night one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, having beaten the New York Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. It was their seventh consecutive home playoff victory — a franchise record and the longest such streak by any team since Chicago's run in 2014.
The game turned on two defining moments. First, Jordan Staal's shorthanded rush in the first period led to Vincent Trocheck finishing for a 1-0 lead — a goal built on speed and opportunism rather than patience. Then, in the second period, a power play that had converted just nine times in 89 attempts since late March finally delivered: Seth Jarvis found Teuvo Teravainen on the left side, and Teravainen buried it at 9:47 for a 2-1 lead, Carolina's first man-advantage goal since the Boston series. Andrei Svechnikov's third-period breakaway backhander against Igor Shesterkin closed it out.
Mika Zibanejad had given New York an early lead just six seconds into a first-period power play, and the Rangers thought they'd retaken the advantage on a Ryan Strome goal — until Carolina's offsides challenge wiped it away. It was a small moment that captured the gap between these teams: Carolina's precision against New York's frustration.
The one unresolved question is the road. Carolina is 0-5 away from home in this series despite ranking among the NHL's best road teams in the regular season. Game 6 is in New York on Saturday, where the Rangers — who rallied from 3-1 down against Pittsburgh and won twice at home to stay alive here — will try to force a Game 7. Carolina has built something formidable. Whether they can finish it somewhere other than Raleigh is all that remains to be seen.
The Carolina Hurricanes walked out of PNC Arena on Thursday night one victory away from the Eastern Conference Finals, having just dismantled the New York Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 of their second-round series. The win gave them a 3-2 series lead and extended their home dominance to an almost absurd degree: seven straight playoff wins without a loss at their own rink, the longest such streak in franchise history and the best any team has managed since Chicago's run in 2014.
It was a performance built on relentless pressure and finally, mercifully, a power play that worked. For two months the Hurricanes' man advantage had been a liability, a unit that had converted just nine times in 89 attempts since late March. Coach Rod Brind'Amour had preached execution without overhaul, trusting the system even as it failed repeatedly. In this series alone, they had gone 0 for 9 on the power play before Thursday. Then, in the second period, with Seth Jarvis feeding a crisp pass to Teuvo Teravainen on the left side, something finally clicked. Teravainen buried it at 9:47 to give Carolina a 2-1 lead—their first power-play goal since the first-round series against Boston.
But the Hurricanes had already taken the lead through different means. In the first period, Jordan Staal executed a shorthanded rush with surgical precision, lifting the puck over K'Andre Miller's legs after a turnover by Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, and Vincent Trocheck finished the play for a 1-0 advantage at 12:57. It was the kind of goal that announced Carolina's intent: they were going to control the game through speed and execution, not wait for mistakes.
Andrei Svechnikov added the third goal midway through the third period, a backhander on a breakaway that beat Igor Shesterkin and essentially ended any Rangers comeback hopes. The Hurricanes finished with a 34-17 shot advantage, a lopsided margin that reflected their dominance throughout. Antti Raanta needed only 16 saves in Carolina's net, a light workload that spoke to how thoroughly his team had managed the game. Shesterkin, for all his brilliance this season—he was a finalist for both the Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy—made 31 saves and still couldn't keep pace.
Mika Zibanejad had given New York an early power-play goal, scoring just six seconds into a first-period man advantage after winning a faceoff and drifting to the left side. The Rangers also thought they had taken a 2-1 lead on a Ryan Strome goal in the second period, but an offsides challenge from Carolina wiped it off the board. It was a small moment that illustrated the difference between the teams: Carolina's attention to detail, their willingness to challenge, their refusal to let anything slide.
Now the Hurricanes face the one obstacle that has eluded them: winning on the road. They are 0-5 away from home in this series despite tying for the NHL lead in regular-season road wins, a paradox that will define whether they advance or not. Game 6 is in New York on Saturday. The Rangers, meanwhile, have shown they know how to fight back. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Pittsburgh in seven games in the first round, then lost the first two games here before winning at home to even the series. They are a team that understands how to survive.
But Carolina has never lost at home in these playoffs. That's the number that matters now. One more win, anywhere, and they're in the Conference Finals to face the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes have built something formidable in Raleigh. Whether they can finish it in New York is the only question left.
Notable Quotes
Coach Rod Brind'Amour preached execution over major changes to the power play, trusting the system even as it struggled for two months— Reporting on Hurricanes coaching approach
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
The Hurricanes are 7-0 at home but 0-5 on the road in this series. How do you explain that split?
It's not unusual for teams to play differently in their own building—the crowd, the familiarity, the comfort. But 0-5 away is severe. Carolina has been one of the best road teams all season, so this isn't about talent. It's about execution under pressure in a hostile environment. The Rangers have made it hard.
What changed with the power play in Game 5? They'd been 0 for 9 in the series.
Simplicity. Jarvis to Teravainen, quick and crisp. No overthinking. Sometimes a unit just needs one to break through the ice. Brind'Amour never panicked, and that matters. He trusted the process even when it wasn't working.
The Rangers came back from 3-1 down against Pittsburgh. Are they the kind of team that can do it again?
They've shown they can. But this is different. They're facing a team that hasn't lost at home in the playoffs. That's a psychological weight. The Rangers are resilient, but Carolina's home record is almost supernatural at this point.
What does Game 6 look like for Carolina?
It's about bringing that same intensity to Madison Square Garden. They can't play tentatively. They have to impose their will the way they did at home. If they do that, they win. If they get tight, the Rangers will make them pay.