NEW YORK — Pyotr Kochetkov turned away 22 shots and contributed two assists, helping the Carolina Hurricanes secure a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday.
William Carrier, Jack Roslovic, and Sebastian Aho found the net for the Hurricanes, who have now won four of their last six outings and improved their record to 10-3-1 against teams from the Metropolitan Division this season.
The Rangers got off to a quick start, with Jimmy Vesey scoring just 17 seconds into the match, successfully finishing a pass from defenseman Chad Ruhwedel past Kochetkov. Unfortunately for New York, their struggles continued as they now sit at 4-12-0 over their last 16 games, including a fourth consecutive defeat on home ice.
The Hurricanes equalized when Carrier netted his fourth goal of the season at 9:14 in the second period, pushing a loose puck in the crease past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who made 28 saves.
Roslovic, who played for the Rangers last season both in the regular season and the playoffs, put Carolina ahead with a power-play goal at 14:32 in the second period, scoring just as Alexis Lafreniere’s double-minor for high-sticking was about to conclude.
Aho sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 18:18 of the third period.
**Takeaways:**
For the Rangers, this marks a disappointing stretch at home, as they have now lost five out of their last six games, dropping their record to 7-9-1 at Madison Square Garden, where they had previously lost only 11 times in 41 games last season.
The Hurricanes celebrated a milestone, with team captain Jordan Staal reaching the 400-point mark in his career by assisting on Carrier’s equalizing goal.
**Key moment:**
One crucial play from Kochetkov was his massive save on a shot from Rangers forward Adam Edstrom, followed by an impressive pad stop against Reilly Smith during a power-play opportunity for New York, keeping the score at 2-1 with just over two minutes remaining in the second period.
**Key stats:**
Kochetkov improved his record to 14-6-0, while Shesterkin’s record fell to 11-13-1.
**Up next:**
The Rangers will take on the New Jersey Devils on Monday, while the Hurricanes travel to Nashville to face the Predators later that night.