Sebastian Aho and former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo each collected a goal and two assists to lift the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over New York on Friday in Raleigh, N.C.
Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist and another former Rangers player, Jesper Fast, also scored, as did rookie Seth Jarvis and Nino Niederreiter. The Hurricanes improved to 12-2-1 in their last 15 games.
It was a tough loss for the Rangers on Friday night, but they will look to bounce back against the Coyotes at home tonight.
Former Rangers key in Hurricanes victory
When DeAngelo set up a one-timer by Fast, who wired a shot from the point past a screened Alexandar Georgiev (29 saves) to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead at 3:33 of the second period, you got the sense that this was not going to be the Blueshirts night.
“It was nice to put on that kind of performance,” DeAngelo said. “I thought our team played great. It was a battle for first place. We got right back to where we want to be, and we’ve got some games in hand (four).”
DeAngelo, 26, spent a little over three season with the Rangers picking up 92 points in 167 games before his tumultuous exile and exit from the club last season. He now has 31 points in 30 games with Carolina.
As for Fast, he was a heart and soul player that could plug any hole or need the Rangers had for the better part of 7 seasons. While a member of the Blueshirts, he registered 147 points in 422 games. This season, the 30 year-old has 14 points in 37 games for the Canes.
“Very excited and a fun game to play,” Fast said. “We wanted to make sure we played the right way and send a little message there.”
Former Rangers Brady Skjei, Derek Stepan, and Brendan Smith all contributed to the victory.
Mika Zibanejad scoring streak continues
New York’s Mika Zibanejad recorded a power-play goal and an assist to extend his point streak to seven games (four goals, five assists). Chris Kreider scored and set up a goal, and fourth-liner Greg McKegg also tallied for the Rangers, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Zibanejad’s one-timer from inside the left circle put New York on the scoreboard just over three minutes later, before Carolina countered with a quick flourish.
Kreider scored his team-leading 26th goal and McKegg added his first of the season 74 seconds later early in the third period to halve the deficit. Kreider’s goal was assisted by Zibanejad.
After a slow start, Mika has been on a tear. His current point streak is now at 7 games (4G – 5A), but he also has points in 11 of his past 13 games (10G – 8A).
Zibanejad, 28, has 39 points in 41 games this season.
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