The New York Rangers are very aware of the challenges faced by Presidents’ Trophy winners in the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, they are not focusing on that.
Since the trophy was first awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season in 1986, only eight of those teams have won the championship. Chicago was the most recent in 2013, and the 2015 Rangers are the only team since then to advance beyond the second round.
“We are not oblivious to what has happened to previous Presidents’ Trophy winners, but I don’t know if that’s the main motivator for us,” said New York forward Mika Zibanejad.
Captain Jacob Trouba shared the same sentiment, adding: “Past events or trends do not hold much weight with our group. We are focused on creating our own story and that’s our main priority.”
The Rangers, who are aiming to win their first Stanley Cup title since 1994 when they also won the Presidents’ Trophy, will start the second round of the playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
According to Bet MGM Sportsbook, the Hurricanes have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup, while the Rangers have the fifth-best odds.
Under the NHL’s divisional playoff format, this series features the Rangers — the top team in the regular season with 114 points — and the Hurricanes, who were three points behind and ranked third in the overall NHL standings.
“The Rangers were the best team, and we were right behind them all year,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. “Whether you meet them in the first, second, or third round, you have to face the best at some point. So, let’s go for it now. I think it will be exciting.”
The Hurricanes, who made it to the Eastern Conference final last year, have reached the postseason for the sixth consecutive year under Brind’Amour. Their victory against the Islanders in the first round marked the first time a team has won at least one series in six straight years since Detroit did it from 1995-2000.
This is also the first time the Hurricanes will not have home-ice advantage for a postseason series since 2019, excluding games played in the bubble four years ago.
“Obviously, not starting at home is a bit of a downside, which is always nice,” said forward Seth Jarvis. “But I think we have the same mindset of going in, trying to win, and getting the series off to a good start.”
The Rangers topped the league with 30 home wins, but both teams performed well on the road with 25 wins during the season — tied for third-best.
“Teams have lost games at home and won games on the road. Having home-ice advantage is great, but in the end, you’re probably going to have to win games on the road at some point,” Trouba said.
SEEING FAMILIAR FACES
New York forward Vincent Trocheck spent over two seasons with Carolina as an important two-way player before signing a seven-year deal with the Rangers in July 2022.
Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei spent parts of five seasons in New York before being traded to Carolina at the trade deadline in 2020, and Tony DeAngelo spent parts of four seasons with the Rangers before he was waived on Feb. 1, 2021.
SCORING
The Rangers were seventh in scoring (3.39 goals per game) during the season while Carolina was eighth (3.38). In the first round, the Hurricanes increased their average to 3.80 gpg, while the Rangers were close behind at 3.75.
Carolina had balanced offensive contributions throughout their lineup in the first round, receiving goals from 12 different players — led by Stefan Noesen and Jarvis (3 each) — and points from 17 players.
New York had goals from 10 players against Washington — led by Trochek (3) — and 14 players had at least one point.
GOALIES
Frederik Andersen finished the regular season strongly for the Hurricanes after being absent for four months due to a blood clotting issue. He took turns playing games with Pyotr Kochetkov in the final weeks, but he played all five games in the first round while recording a 2.25 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
Igor Shesterkin also ended the regular season strongly for the Rangers by winning 10 of his last 14 starts, including three shutouts. Against the Capitals, he had a 1.75 GAA and .935 save percentage in the four-game sweep.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Hurricanes ranked second in the regular season on the power play, converting 26.9% of their chances — slightly ahead of the Rangers in third at 26.4%. Carolina had the league’s No. 1 penalty kill at 86.4%, while the Rangers were third at 84.5%.
The teams had similar outputs with the man advantage in the first-round series (Rangers 6 of 16, 37.5%; Hurricanes 5 of 15, 33.3%).
POSTSEASON HISTORY
This is the teams’ third postseason meeting — all in the last five years. Carolina had a three-game sweep in the qualifying round of the 2020 playoff bubble, and New York won the deciding Game 7 on the road in the second round of the 2022 playoffs after the home team had won each of the first six games.
