Extending their point streak to 10 games, the Carolina Hurricanes breezed by the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night, ending on a high note before the Olympic break.
Playing away from home, the Canes (36-15-6) skated away with a 2-0 win against the Rangers (22-29-6), with the same faces we’ve seen all season making the difference. Right wing Andrei Svechnikov put the Canes up early in the first, and breakout goaltender Brandon Bussi maintained the Canes’ lead, before an empty netter from center Jordan Staal iced the game.
Starting off quick, Svechnikov acquired a loose puck at mid-ice and skated towards the opposing side, firing a snap shot to the back of the Rangers’ net.
Bouncing back from a mediocre start to the season, Svechnikov has now scored the second-most goals for Carolina, trailing four behind center Seth Jarvis, and one in front of center Sebastian Aho.
Mimicking the latter half of the first period, the second period remained goalless. Though the Rangers put up four shots against Bussi, Carolina’s efforts towards the net dwarfed the Rangers with their 19 shots on goal. By the end of the game, Carolina would have 43 shots, compared to just 16 for New York.
With an empty net in the final period and in desperation mode, the Rangers made one last push. But Staal — with assists from right wing Jackson Blake and left wing Nikolaj Ehlers — scored for Carolina to put the game away with less than a minute to go.
From free agent to NHL record breaker, Bussi has made a name for himself in his first season with the Canes. Since the season’s start, Bussi first broke the record for the fastest to 10 wins, doing so in just 11 games. Later, he broke the record for the fastest to win 20 games, securing the win in 20 of his first 24 starts.
Having played the most games of all the goaltenders on Carolina’s roster with 27, his statistics continue to impress, winning 23 and slowly inching towards his next record. He ended the night by keeping all 16 shots out of the net.
The Hurricanes will take a three-week break as many NHL players are representing their country in Milan, Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Carolina will return to action on Feb. 26 to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
