Carolina Hurricanes survive at home, edge New York Rangers 4-3 in Game 4

The Carolina Hurricanes still have hockey to play.

Playing an elimination game Saturday in their playoff series against the New York Rangers, the Canes avoided a four-game sweep by taking a 4-3 victory in Game 4 at PNC Arena that was the Rangers’ first postseason loss.

Defenseman Brady Skjei’s power-play goal with 3:11 left in regulation gave the Canes a 4-3 lead. It was Carolina’s first power-play score of the series and had PNC Arena rumbling.

The Canes will go back to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Monday. Their goal: continue their attempt to become the fifth team in NHL history to rebound from an 0-3 deficit in a Stanley Cup playoff series.

The Rangers, who swept the Washington Capitals in the opening round, will be looking to beat the Canes for a third time at Madison Square Garden and close out the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

After Canes forward Jordan Martinook was tripped by Ryan Lindgren with 3:43 left, Skjei unloaded on an outside shot that beat goalie Igor Shesterkin. Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov earned the assists as the Canes ended an 0-for-16 streak on the power play -- the Canes, 0-15 in the first three games, did not convert on their first power play Saturday.

The Rangers, trailing 3-2 after two periods, did not take long to tie the score in the third as Alex Lafreniere put a puck on net that hit goaltender Frederik Andersen in the back and squeezed past the post.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stefan Noesen and Sebastian Aho all scored in the first as the Canes played with some jump and urgency and took a 3-1 lead.

Canes lead after two periods

The Rangers made it a one-goal game in the second. Fourth-line center Barclay Goodrow deflected a shot by defenseman Braden Schneider past Andersen from the right point at 12:43 for the only goal of the period.

Both teams had near-miss scoring chances in the second.

The Canes had a two-man rush into the Rangers zone the final seconds of the period. But Jake Guentzel’s shot was swallowed up by Shesterkin with 13.7 seconds remaining in what could have been a late-period dagger for Carolina.

Earlier in the period, Canes defenseman Tony DeAngelo had a shot through traffic hit the post. The Rangers Alex Wennberg also had one go off the post. Martinook had a good look and a mostly open net but couldn’t convert in one sequence. So it went.

Through two periods, the Canes had a 23-20 shooting edge, with 51 total attempts to the Rangers’ 45. Carolina also led in scoring chances (26-22) and high-danger chances (11-4) according to naturalstattrick.com.

Big first period for Carolina

The Canes scored twice on Shesterkin for a 2-0 lead as Kuznetsov rifled a shortside shot, then Noesen knocked in a rebound. After a Rangers score, Aho scored for a 3-1 lead after the first.

Kuznetsov quickly broke into his birdman celebration after his third goal of the playoffs. Spotting some Rangers fans sitting by the glass, he slammed his stick at them to end the celly.

Noesen followed up a shot by Teuvo Teravainen, breaking in on the backside to slap the puck past Shesterkin.

The Rangers quickly responded after the Noesen goal. Rookie forward Will Will Cuylie took a stetch pass from Kaapo Kakko and broke between Skjei and DeAngelo up the slot to beat Andersen.

But Aho scored on a shot from the low slot, his third goal of the playoffs, for a 3-1 lead. Guentzel had the primary assist for his ninth point in nine playoff games, setting up Aho.

“I thought we came out well, which was very, very important,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Then I thought (the Rangers) answered the bell and had a good game.”

Andersen in net

The question before Game 3: Andersen or Pyotr Kochekkov in net for Carolina? Brind’Amour, in turn, played it coy Saturday morning, not announcing his starter for Game 4.

“I’m going to change the mojo a little and let you guys sweat it out,” he told the media.

Andersen started the first seven games of the playoffs, beginning with the five-game series with the Islanders. But Brind’Amour gave him a rest in Game 3 against the Rangers, starting Kochetkov, as New York won in overtime.

Shesterkin has stymied the Canes through the first three games, stopping 121 of 129 shots..

“We understand he’s a great goalie and we need to do a better job of whatever it is to make it harder on him,” Brind’Amour said before the game. “Pretty much every shot he’s seen he’s saved in this series.

“The ones he can’t see are deflections and this and that. If that’s what it’s got to be, that’s what it’s got to be.”