RALEIGH, N.C. _ The Carolina Hurricanes faced off against the Rangers Saturday night knowing their playoff hopes had almost certainly reached their end. The Hurricanes' tragic number was one point, meaning a loss to the Rangers _ or a point gained by the Devils in their game against the Islanders _ would extinguish their hopes officially.
Goals by defenseman Ryan Sproul (his first as a Ranger) and Kevin Hayes (shorthanded) and 40 saves from Henrik Lundqvist were enough for the Rangers to win, 2-1, at PNC Arena and put the Hurricanes out of their misery a few minutes before the Devils' win over the Islanders would have done it.
The Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak.
For Lundqvist, who had been so disconsolate in the locker room after Wednesday's overtime loss to the Capitals in Washington, it was his first victory since his 50-save, 1-0 win over Calgary on March 2 (his 36th birthday).
