Panarin’s OT score makes N.Y. 7-0 in postseason
RALEIGH, N.C. — The New York Rangers erased an early deficit to take momentum, only to squander their lead late with a huge postseason road victory only minutes away.
It didn’t prevent them from staying unbeaten in the NHL playoffs with a second straight overtime win and inching closer to the Eastern Conference final.
Artemi Panarin redirected a pass between his legs at the crease to beat Pyotr Kochetkov just 1:43 into OT and the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in the second-round series.
Panarin ended it after the Hurricanes’ Andrei Svechnikov had scored with the extra attacker and only 1:36 left in regulation to tie it, sending a jolt through Carolina’s normally boisterous crowd for the overtime period. Yet the Rangers pounced when the moment arrived to stun Carolina in a matchup of two of the league’s top three teams in the regular season.
“This is a resilient group, and they’ve been in these situations before,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said about the intermission before OT. “And I think [it was] just sending messaging that we’re doing the right things, we were going to finish this because of what we’ve been through and the way we’re playing the game right now.”
Of course, it helps to have a finisher like Panarin.
The deciding play began when Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov lost control of the puck in the corner in the defensive zone. Vincent Trocheck collected it on the right side and sent it toward the crease to Panarin, who tipped the puck behind him as defenseman Jalen Chatfield tried to push him away from the crease.
The puck slipped under the right elbow and past the ribs of Kochetkov, sending Panarin into celebration and the Rangers soon joining him near the door toward the tunnel off the ice.
“I think Orlov, the puck bounced off his stick,” Trocheck said. “And then I just saw a little bit of daylight, saw Bread [Panarin] crashing the net, and it was a great tip by him.”
The Rangers, who are 7-0 in the postseason after sweeping Washington in Round 1, can complete the sweep in Game 4 here Saturday night.
Chris Kreider scored a shorthanded goal in the second period on a tying rush up the ice, while Alexis Lafreniere also scored in the third period for New York to take a 2-1 lead.
The Rangers were on the verge of a regulation win when Svechnikov gave Carolina another shot. That play started when Brady Skjei fired a shot from outside that sent the puck bouncing off the stick of Sebastian Aho — breaking Aho’s stick — near the right post.
But the puck came back out into the slot, and Svechnikov was able to zip the puck past a diving Adam Fox and over the shoulder of Igor Shesterkin (45 saves) to tie it at 2.
Jake Guentzel had a first-period goal for Carolina, while the 24-year-old Kochetkov had 22 saves in taking over the net from Frederik Andersen after the veteran had started the first seven playoff games.
By the end, though, Carolina had seen its past eight playoff losses come by one-goal margins going back to Florida’s sweep in last year’s Eastern Conference Final. Five of those losses came in overtime periods, including the past two.
“It’s a little bit of a broken record,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said.
The series looked as if it had the potential for heavy drama considering the Metropolitan Division-winning Rangers also won the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season team, while the Hurricanes — in the playoffs for the sixth time in six seasons — finished three points behind and entered the NHL playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.
Yet the Rangers have turned this into a display of confident and clutch play.
Beyond Panarin’s finish, there was Kreider’s charge up the ice past Brent Burns to finish a feed from Mika Zibanejad for a short-handed goal that tied it at 1 and drained Carolina’s sustained momentum from Guentzel’s first score. And that ultimately captured a piece of another frustrating night for Carolina on the power play — along with a clear special-teams edge for New York so far.
After going 0-for-5 with the man advantage in each of the first two games, Carolina — which was the league’s No. 2 team on the power play with the man advantage — went 0-for-5 yet again to stand at 0-for-15 in the series.
Carolina’s penalty kill had given up four goals in the first two games but held up this time against four power plays and continued steady play in 5-on-5 action.
“There’s two games going on here,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “If you want to write the right story, that’s what’s going on. And we’re losing one badly. But we’re doing pretty damn good on the other one. So it’s just how we can figure out to make this story get a little better, that’s the difference.”
The Rangers had their own lineup change, with forward Filip Chytil — who had been ruled out for the season in January — getting his first action since November after being sidelined with an upper-body injury.
Two top five teams lost in Week 8, with Miami losing to Louisville and Ole Miss blowing a multi-score lead against Georgia. Texas Tech’s first loss of the season came in a squeaker against Arizona State. Meanwhile, Ohio State looked as steady as ever in a 34-0 shutout of Wisconsin and Indiana blew out Michigan State to remain undefeated.
What does it all mean for the AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
All times Eastern.
Previous ranking: 1
2025 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Wisconsin 34-0
Stat to know: Ohio State has won 15 straight games as the AP No. 1, the longest streak by a Big Ten team.
What’s next: Nov. 1 vs. Penn State
Previous ranking: 3
2025 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Michigan State 38-13
Stat to know: Indiana is now 16-0 against unranked opponents under Curt Cignetti.
What’s next: Saturday vs. UCLA
Previous ranking: 4
2025 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Arkansas 45-42
Stat to know: This is Texas A&M’s first 7-0 start since 1994.
What’s next: Saturday at LSU, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 6
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Tennessee 37-20
Stat to know: With the win over Tennessee, Alabama became the first team in SEC history to win four straight games, all against ranked teams, with no bye week mixed in.
What’s next: Saturday at South Carolina, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 9
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Ole Miss 43-35
Stat to know: Georgia is 2-0 at home under Kirby Smart when trailing by nine or more points entering the fourth quarter.
What’s next: Nov. 1 vs. Florida (in Jacksonville, Florida), 3:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 8
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Rutgers 56-10
Stat to know: Oregon is 6-0 following losses under Dan Lanning.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Wisconsin
Previous ranking: 12
2025 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Duke 27-18
Stat to know: Georgia Tech had a 95-yard fumble return in the first quarter, the longest in school history.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Syracuse, noon
Previous ranking: 5
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Lost to Georgia 43-35
Stat to know: Ole Miss gained just 13 yards in the fourth quarter, tied for its third-fewest in a quarter under Lane Kiffin.
What’s next: Saturday at Oklahoma, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 2
2025 record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Lost to Louisville 24-21
Stat to know: The loss to Louisville was Miami’s fourth home less as a double-digit favorite under Mario Cristobal, the most losses in FBS in that span (since 2022).
What’s next: Saturday vs. Stanford, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 17
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated LSU 31-24
Stat to know: This is Vanderbilt’s first 6-1 start since 1950.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Missouri
Previous ranking: 15
2025 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Utah 24-21
Stat to know: BYU has started 7-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
What’s next: Saturday at Iowa State, 3:30 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 13
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Defeated USC 34-24
Stat to know: Notre Dame has won seven of its past eight meetings with USC.
What’s next: Nov. 1 at Boston College
Previous ranking: 14
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated South Carolina 26-7
Stat to know: This was Oklahoma’s first win against South Carolina.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Ole Miss, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 7
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Lost to Arizona State 26-22
Stat to know: The loss to Arizona State was Texas Tech’s first game of the season with 20 or more points allowed.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Oklahoma State, 4 p.m.
Previous ranking: 16
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Auburn 23-17 (2 OT)
Stat to know: Missouri has won 22 straight games against unranked opponents.
What’s next: Saturday at Vanderbilt
Previous ranking: 18
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Washington State 22-20
Stat to know: Virginia’s 6-1 start is its best through seven games since 2007.
What’s next: Saturday at North Carolina, noon, ACC Network
Previous ranking: 11
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Lost to Alabama 37-20
Stat to know: Tennessee’s 20 points against Alabama is its fewest scored in a game this season.
What’s next: Saturday at Kentucky, 7:45 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 19
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Florida Atlantic 48-13
Stat to know: The win over FAU was South Florida’s fourth straight game with at least 48 points.
What’s next: Saturday at Memphis, noon
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Miami 24-21
Stat to know: Louisville’s win over Miami was its second over an AP top-2 team in program history.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Boston College, 7:30 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 10
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Lost to Vanderbilt 31-24
Stat to know: Garrett Nussmeier has thrown a passing touchdown in 13 straight games, the third-longest active streak among current SEC quarterbacks.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 24
2025 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Oklahoma State 49-17
Stat to know: This is Cincinnati’s first 6-1 start to a season since 2022.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Baylor, 4 p.m.
Previous ranking: 21
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Defeated Kentucky 16-13 (OT)
Stat to know: Texas’s 179 total yards against Kentucky marked its fewest in a win in the past 30 years.
What’s next: Saturday at Mississippi State
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Washington
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Defeated Texas Tech 26-22
Stat to know: Arizona State is now 6-1 against AP-ranked opponents since the start of the 2024 season.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Houston, 8:00 p.m., ESPN2
Previous ranking: NR
2025 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Defeated Washington 24-7
Stat to know: Michigan is on a 28-game home winning streak against AP unranked teams.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Michigan State, 7:30 p.m., NBC
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