The Carolina Hurricanes’ survival instinct kicked in.
Down 1-0 going into the third period and facing elimination in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference second-round series, the Hurricanes scored three goals in a 6:23 span to defeat the New York Rangers 4-1 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.
Veteran captain Jordan Staal tied it 1-1, 3:33 into the third. He swooped in off the left wing and backhanded the puck past Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin as he crossed in front of the net.
Evgeny Kuznetsov gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead 3:06 later, when he put in a rebound.
Jordan Martinook made it 3-1 at 9:56 on a shot from the slot.
Martin Necas’ empty-net goal with 3:29 left clinched it. He also had an assist.
Carolina had lost five in a row at Madison Square Garden before Monday. And for the middle stretch of the game, it appeared that streak would continue.
Defenseman Jacob Trouba’s shorthanded goal 6:23 into the second period gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead. He scored off a 2-on-1 rush on a wrist shot from the right circle after blocking a shot by Sebastian Aho.
That was the only goal allowed by Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, who finished with 20 saves.
Game 6 is Thursday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., at 7 p.m. The Hurricanes now trail in the series 3-2.
