RALEIGH, N.C. — Artemi Panarin’s between-the-legs deflection gave the New York Rangers a 3-2 win at 1:43 of overtime and a 3-0 stranglehold on their series with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Carolina tied it with 1:36 to go in regulation but Vincent Trocheck pounced on a turnover, sent a pass to the slot and Panarin neatly tipped it by Pyotr Kochetkov for the win and a chance for the Rangers to complete a second straight sweep this postseason on Saturday. Igor Shesterkin made 45 saves as he continued his strong postseason.

The Rangers grabbed the lead in the third when Trocheck took a hit from Sebastian Aho to deliver a bump pass to Panarin in stride over the Carolina line. Panarin fired a pass across and Alexis Lafrenière snapped a one-timer through Brady Skjei and past Pyotr Kochetkov to give the Rangers their first lead of the game at 6:25 of the third.

But Carolina showed some spunk tying it with the net empty and 1:36 to go before they fell into a 3-0 series hole. Sebastian Aho’s net-side try broke his own stick and the puck and Aho’s stick blade flew back into the slot, where Andrei Svechnikov grabbed control and beat Shesterkin over his right shoulder to send the game to OT.

Panarin went BETWEEN-THE-LEGS for the OT winner 🤯 pic.twitter.com/JUgZdcBiaQ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 10, 2024

Rod Brind’Amour went to Kochetkov, the 24-year-old rookie who’s now seen time in three consecutive postseasons, after deciding that Frederik Andersen could use a bit of rest following the double-overtime Game 2 loss. Kochetkov had a solid night for the Canes but it wasn’t enough.

Jake Guentzel scored his third goal in two games to get the Canes on the board first, deflecting Dmitri Orlov’s shot-pass by Shesterkin at 10:14 of the first. Carolina poured on the shots but couldn’t get that key second goal and instead, it was Chris Kreider tipping a shorthanded goal by Kochetkov at 8:30 of the second to tie it.

Filip Chytil made his return to the Rangers lineup for the first time since Nov. 3 and over three months after his season was declared over. He replaced Matt Rempe and the Rangers were still feisty, but also benefited from Chytil slotting in with Alex Wennberg and Kaapo Kakko.

Artemi Panarin OT hero

Panarin had a relatively quiet night but that didn’t matter when he came up with as pretty an overtime winner as you’ll see. Trocheck alertly turned the puck that Orlov misplayed toward the net and Panarin tipped it through his legs and in for his third career overtime winner, his second as a Ranger — this one goes alongside his Game 7 series-ending goal to eliminate the Penguins in the 2022 first round.

Igor Igors again

It’s no surprise that Shesterkin was on his game again Thursday. Carolina pumped a ton of shots on net but not many with real high danger, which is what most goalies love — it helps them get warm and get into the game.

His biggest save of Game 3 was early in the second period. Off a Mika Zibanejad turnover, Jordan Staal had a good look and Shesterkin moving; the goalie stopped Staal with the shaft of his stick, preventing a 2-0 deficit. The Canes had 21 shots in the middle period and Shesterkin stopped them all, though that Staal chance was by far the best one.

The Rangers were stingier in the third period and Shesterkin had 44 saves heading to overtime for the second straight game. He only needed to make one easy one in the brief OT.

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Short(handed) kings

The Rangers didn’t dominate Game 3 on the power play as they did the first two games. Instead, it was their penalty kill, which got plenty of work as the Canes got five power-play opportunities for the third straight game and went 0-for-5 yet again.

Carolina had three power plays in the second period and only managed to give the Rangers chance after chance. Panarin missed the net on a breakaway out of the penalty box after his early minor expired. It was on the second Canes advantage that the Rangers went to work.

Zibanejad turned Brent Burns over just inside the Rangers line and chipped the puck out, racing onto it just as Kreider raced down the middle ahead of Burns to tip in Zibanejad’s pass. On that same kill, Trocheck had a breakaway and Kochetkov stoned that one.

The Rangers went back to the kill a few minutes later in the second and Kreider barely missed the net on another two-on-one.

Filip Chytil returns

Chytil found out Thursday morning he’d get into his first game in over six months. Following the initial concussion suffered on a high-speed collision with Jesper Fast against these same Hurricanes on Nov. 2 and a setback following an optional skate at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 26, a return at all this season seemed unlikely.

But after nearly a full month of no-restrictions practices, Chytil made it back in for Game 3. There was surely some rust and he was among the least-used Rangers in a game that featured loads of special-teams time and none of it for Chytil, who in years past has been on the second power-play unit. But it was certainly a boost to have the popular Ranger back in a game after so much time away, some of that spent in his native Czechia.

It would have been a spectacular return to action had Chytil converted off a pretty move to the net on a third-period power play, but Kochetkov denied Chytil’s backhand. It was still a reminder of what Chytil can do and how much the Rangers missed his skill and speed.

Shenanigans

The Rangers had a clear intention from the outset of Game 3: To get as close to Kochetkov as possible, either during play or just after the whistle blew. That naturally led to some dust-ups, especially in the opening period as the Rangers also tried to disrupt Carolina’s expected adrenaline boost coming out at home.

Ryan Lindgren had the first snow shower for Kochetkov in the first and Tony DeAngelo, unsurprisingly, took exception, loudly challenging Lindgren as the players gathered for some shoving. Soon after it was Barclay Goodrow who got in tight to Kochetkov after the young goalie bobbled a shot and covered it.

That one brought a bigger response. Dmitri Orlov slugged Goodrow and then executed a wrestling takedown on Jimmy Vesey; Vesey got out of that and delivered a gloved shot to Martin Necas’ face after Necas flipped Vesey’s stick away. Vesey then looked ready to fight any Cane who came near and had a quick tussle with Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Things quieted down after that as far as the sideshow went, though both teams had several power-play chances. During the television timeout following the Vesey scrum, DeAngelo kept up a steady stream of chatter with Goodrow and Will Cuylle near the benches, eventually dropping his stick and gloves in a hockey version of an 18th-century duke challenging a fellow elite to a duel. No one took him up on it.

Tony DeAngelo dropping his gloves against… the air? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/pcGyKvmNb0

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 9, 2024

(Top photo: Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images)