The Hurricanes placed a geographic restriction on ticket sales for the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup with the Rangers, limiting ticket purchases to residents of “North Carolina/South Carolina and Southern Virginia,” according to a message displayed to fans trying to purchase tickets from outside those areas.
It is a likely attempt to try and maximize home ice advantage at PNC Arena, the stage for game one on Wednesday night.
But the Blueshirts aren’t worried about the Canes trying to limit the presence of Rangers fans. K’Andre Miller still expects to hear some support in Raleigh.
“We’ve seen it all year. There’s gonna be Rangers fans everywhere,” Miller said Tuesday. “This organization does an unbelievable job of promoting our players and just having our backs at all times.
“If they’re there or not, we’re still gonna hear them. They’re still gonna be in our thoughts, and we’re still gonna try and do good for them.”
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The Rangers had all the fan support at a raucous Madison Square Garden on Sunday, when they pulled out a thrilling overtime win in game seven against the Penguins. Now, a tougher test awaits in the Hurricanes, who have been seen as Stanley Cup contenders since before the season began, when New York was considered a long shot.
“I don’t think there’s really any pressure,” Miller said. “Coming off a 3-1 series against a really good Pittsburgh team…I think our confidence is where it needs to be. We've shown what we can do all season coming back and coming from behind.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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