RALEIGH, N.C. _ Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Rangers tried something different and ended up in a wild and crazy early evening affair with the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. The Rangers blew four separate leads, then allowed two goals in a 46-second span that doomed them to an 8-5 loss to the Hurricanes and dropped them to 0-3 on the young season.
With backup goaltender Alexandar Georgiev playing his first game of the season, and coach David Quinn going with a seven-defenseman, 11-forward lineup, the Rangers opened a two-goal lead by the 6:02 mark of the first period when Jimmy Vesey and Chris Kreider each scored the first of their two goals in the game. But Carolina tied it up on goals by Warren Foegele and Jordan Martinook before the period was over.
Vesey's second goal, at 2:48 of the second period, put the Rangers ahead 3-2, but Jordan Staal tied it at 9:25 for the Hurricanes. Pavel Buchnevich scored on a power play to put the Rangers ahead 4-3, but a giveaway by Georgiev led to Micheal Ferland's goal that tied it with 30.5 seconds left in the second period.
Kreider's second goal, at 4:26 of the third, gave the Rangers their last lead, but it didn't last long. Lucas Wallmark tied it at 5 just 35 seconds later, before Andrei Svechnikov, the second pick overall in the 2018 NHL draft, deflected a shot from the wing past Georgiev for his first career goal at 10:44.
Foegele added his second goal of the game at 11:31. Teuvo Teravainen added an empty net goal in the final minute.
Georgiev allowed seven goals on 39 shots.
