RALEIGH, N.C. _ Jeff Skinner had the hats flying Friday as the Carolina Hurricanes played their long-awaited home opener.
Skinner didn't score a hat trick _ Bryan Bickell later was credited with a goal instead of Skinner's third _ and Canes fans didn't get their hats back. Not that they left PNC Arena feeling empty-handed.
The Canes beat the New York Rangers 3-2 before a sellout crowd as Skinner officially was credited with two goals and an assist. He appeared to score a third with less than a second left in the second period, causing hats to fill the ice, but the puck glanced off Bickell in front of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
After opening the season with six straight road games, the Canes finally were back on home ice. Veteran goalie Cam Ward was in net, making 28 saves, while such newcomers as Bickell, Lee Stempniak Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and former Rangers forward Viktor Stalberg were playing their first regular-season game at PNC Arena.
The Rangers and Lundqvist have had their way with the Canes, winning 14 of 16 games in the series before Friday's game. And there was a question if Skinner would be able to go in the home opener.
Skinner missed Tuesday's game against the Detroit Red Wings with what Canes coach Bill Peters called a "middle-body" injury. Skinner was at Friday's morning skate but Peters then said his availability would be a game-time decision.
No one was keeping Skinner out of the lineup this night. Designated an alternate captain for the Canes in home games this season, the winger was wearing an "A" on his sweater for the first time.
Mats Zuccarello, who always seems to bedevil the Canes, had a pair of goals for the Rangers and his first, on a first-period power play, gave New York a 1-0 lead.
But then Skinner struck, beating Lundqvist with a shot from the right circle as defenseman Noah Hanifin and center Victor Rask picked up assists _ Rask extending his points streak to seven games with a pair of assists.
Skinner's second goal, 33 seconds into the second period, came on well-executed stretch pass from Brett Pesce. Getting a step on defenseman Kevin Klein, Skinner whipped a wicked backhander past Lundqvist for a 2-1 lead.
The Rangers tied it 2-2 as Zuccarello shook free at the Carolina blue line for a breakaway at 12:17 of the second.
But a tripping penalty against the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh, who dumped Stempniak in the New York zone, gave the Canes a late power play in the period. With the final seconds ticking away, Skinner unleashed a heavy shot from the right wing that beat the horn by five-tenths of a second.
The home crowd thundered, and fans quickly began throwing hats on the ice. Skinner didn't get the goal but the Canes had a 3-2 lead entering the third as Bickell _ a healthy scratch Tuesday in Detroit _ earned his first goal with the Hurricanes.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Rask became the first Canes player to start a season with a seven-game point streak since Keith Primeau in the 1998-99 season.
The Canes' unusual schedule was a result of the World Cup of Hockey, which pushed back the start of the 2016-17 season, and the N.C. State Fair dates. Carolina was the last NHL team to play their home opener and plays against Sunday at PNC Arena, hosting the Philadelphia Flyers.
