The Carolina Hurricanes entered Tuesday night’s game looking for their first win of November. The New York Rangers were looking for their first home win of the 2025-26 season, after starting 0-4-1. It was an early-season showdown between two Metropolitan Division teams as they strive for some bragging rights in the second month of the NHL season. In the end, the Hurricanes shut out the Rangers in a 3-0 victory at Madison Square Garden.
Game Recap
Early on, Pyotr Kochetkov had to stand tall for the Hurricanes as the Rangers outshot the visitors 13-5 in the first 10 minutes of the first period. There were a few 2-on-1 chances for the home side, but the Russian netminder said “nyet” and kept the game scoreless. The Rangers had the first power play of the game, but were shut down by the Hurricanes’ penalty kill. However, when the Hurricanes got their first chance on the man-advantage of the game, they shrugged off their 32nd-ranked power play.
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In his 12th game with the Hurricanes, Nikolaj Ehlers got his first after he got a pass from Sean Walker in the left faceoff circle and ripped a shot on Igor Shesterkin, who had no chance to stop it. The puck went off the post and in with a loud PING, and it was 1-0 Hurricanes. While the Hurricanes had a slow start to the game, they ended the first frame with the momentum.
The Hurricanes doubled their lead in the second period after a Walker goal 17 minutes into the middle frame. The Rangers at the start of the period were outshooting the Hurricanes 7-1, but as the horn sounded for the second intermission, the visitors outshot the home side 13-9. It was another slow period for the Hurricanes that ended with them getting a goal and quieting the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
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The third period was all Hurricanes as they held the Rangers to one shot in the final 20 minutes of the game. It got to the point where the Rangers were held without a shot for over 21 minutes, dating back to 8:08 left in the second period. Out of the six shots the Hurricanes had, Seth Jarvis made it a 3-0 game with an empty net goal, his eighth of the season. Kochetkov, in his regular-season debut, made all 25 saves to earn the shutout victory.
The win puts the Hurricanes at 8-4-0 on the season, while the Rangers fall to 0-5-1 at home to begin the 2025-26 season. What a bounce-back game for the Hurricanes as they earn their first win in November. The loss snapped the Rangers’ three-game winning streak.
