Rangers' Lackluster Power Play Slammed by Fans in Game 2 Loss to Hurricanes

The New York Rangers are now down 2-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes in their second-round playoff matchup following a 2-0 loss Friday at PNC Arena and face an uphill battle when the series shifts to Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Throughout the game, the Blueshirts were slammed for their struggles on the power play. The team went 0-for-4 with a man advantage and also allowed Hurricanes defenseman Brendan Smith to score a shorthanded goal in the second period. 

Smith's goal ended up being the game-winner, though Sebastian Aho added another goal with just two seconds remaining in Game 2 to seal the victory. 

The Rangers finished the regular season with the fourth-best power play in the NHL at 25.2 percent, and Chris Kreider led the league with 26 power-play goals. They're 5-on-5 play wasn't nearly as effective and they relied heavily on the PP.

They're still scoring 25 percent of the time on the power play this postseason, but through two games against the Hurricanes, the Blueshirts have yet to find the back of the net on the man-advantage. 

With these past two games against the Hurricanes being pretty tight, the Rangers will need to find their footing on the power play when they return home to New York, otherwise they risk being swept by the team that finished first in the Metropolitan Division this season.