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.

Brady Tkachuk was named the captain of the 2024 U.S. team for the IIHF men’s world hockey championship on Thursday.

Tkachuk, who is the captain of the Ottawa Senators, will wear the “C” for Team USA when it plays Sweden on Friday in Ostrava, Czechia.

New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson, Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones and Columbus Blue Jackets blueliner Zach Werenski will serve as alternate captains for Team USA.

“We’ve got a great leadership group, and, in the end, everyone will have to lead in their own way for us to be successful,” Team USA head coach John Hynes said. “We’re excited about our team and look forward to starting play in the world championship (on Friday).”

Tkachuk, 24, scored a career-high 37 goals to go along with 37 assists in 81 games this season with the Senators.

He will be playing in his first IIHF men’s world championship. He served as captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2017 IIHF under-18 men’s world championship.

The Toronto Maple Leafs relieved Sheldon Keefe of head-coaching duties Thursday.

According to a statement from the club, a search for Keefe’s replacement will begin immediately.

“Today’s decision was difficult,” Leafs general manager Brad Treliving said. “Sheldon is an excellent coach and a great man; however, we determined a new voice is needed to help the team push through to reach our ultimate goal. We thank Sheldon for his hard work and dedication to the organization over the last nine years, and wish him and his family all the very best.”

No determination has been made about the rest of Toronto’s coaching staff, which includes assistants Manny Malhotra, Dean Chynoweth and Guy Boucher.

Keefe has two years remaining on a contract extension Treliving signed him to in August, which doesn’t officially kick in until the 2024-25 season.

In a video posted to social media on Thursday, Keefe thanked Maple Leafs’ management past and present and said farewell to the fan base.

Thank you, Leafs Nation 💙✌️ pic.twitter.com/WN4iXJZjjE

— Sheldon Keefe (@SheldonKeefe) May 9, 2024

“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs,” said Keefe. “It was a dream come true for a boy from Brampton [Ontario]. I didn’t get it done in the playoffs. I didn’t help push our team over the line and deliver. I accept responsibility for that. No excuses. That’s the job. I didn’t get it done. It’s the reality of the business and I accept it. Anyone who suited up for blue and white, I appreciate you. The players and [Leafs’] support staff will drive the team to success. I believe it will win. Leafs Nation, you deserve your Stanley Cup.”

Treliving is scheduled to meet with the media alongside president Brendan Shanahan and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley on Friday.

Keefe was promoted to Toronto’s head-coaching role in November 2019 to replace the fired Mike Babcock. Keefe had previously been coach of the Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, since 2015 and guided them to a Calder Cup championship in 2018.

Through 4½ NHL seasons, Keefe led the Leafs to a 212-97-40 record — with consecutive seasons of 50 or more wins — and playoff appearances in each full campaign. Toronto never found postseason success under Keefe, though, bowing out of the first round in three of the past four seasons, including in this year’s first-round loss to Boston in Game 7 overtime.

That defeat in particular appeared to seal Keefe’s fate. The Leafs were down 3-1 in the series and battled back to force a decisive final contest, but Toronto’s perennial underachievement forced management into making a change.

This is the first major adjustment for Treliving since he joined Toronto’s staff last May. Shanahan had parted ways with former GM Kyle Dubas — who originally hired Keefe to replace Babcock after also bringing Keefe to the organization when he was GM of the Marlies’ prior to that — and introduced Treliving in the role shortly after. Treliving opted to extend Keefe before last season began, touting Keefe’s “clear vision and direction for where the team needs to go.”

Now the hunt for Keefe’s successor will get underway in what could be a busy offseason for the Leafs. Toronto has key skaters including Auston Matthews and William Nylander signed to long-term contracts. They want to capitalize on that core with success right now, particularly in the playoffs. The other pieces of the Leafs’ designated Core Four — Mitch Marner and John Tavares — will be entering the final year of their current deals this season. Both would be eligible to sign extensions in Toronto on July 1.