Andrei Svechnikov had tied it 2-2 for Carolina with 1:36 remaining in the third period and goalie Pyotr Kochetkov pulled for the extra attacker, scoring on a rebound from the right hash marks.
“That was kind of a second life we got there,” Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. “But we had plenty of chances to win that game before that.”
Chris Kreider and Lafreniere scored, and Igor Shesterkin made 45 saves for the Rangers, who are the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division and are 7-0 in the playoffs. Panarin also had an assist.
“It’s unfortunate they pull the goaltender, you’re a minute and a half away from walking away from it,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “But the reality is we really liked the way we were playing the game, and we kind of rode that out into the overtime.”
Jake Guentzel scored for the Hurricanes, who are the No. 2 seed from the Metropolitan Division, and Kochetkov made 22 saves in his first game of the playoffs.
Kochetkov had not played since making 14 saves in a 4-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 14. Frederik Andersen played the first two games against the Rangers and all of Carolina’s five-game series against the New York Islanders in the first round.
“It hurts, you’ve got to be realistic,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They’re probably as down as they’re ever going to be. You’ve got to feel that. That’s the keep-it-real part of it. But you’ve got to pick yourself up and come back tomorrow. We’re still playing.”
