Rangers face big test at home after their perfect road trip

GREENBURGH — The Rangers made history when they went on the road for five games and won them all, the first time in the franchise’s 97-year history they’d swept a trip of at least five games.

Now they return home to face the Carolina Hurricanes  on Thursday, which is a completely different challenge.

“It's a huge game,’’ Vincent Trocheck, the former Hurricane, said at practice Wednesday. “This is a team that … won the (Metropolitan) Division the last couple years, so yeah, it's a big match for us.

“Obviously, it's a really good test for us, coming back off a five-game road trip, and these (home games after long road trips) are sometimes games that teams tend to relax a little bit. But when you come back and get a team like these guys, you have no time to relax.’’

The Rangers enter Thursday’s game at 7-2-0 and in first place in the division with 14 points. The Hurricanes, division champions in each of the last two seasons, are 6-4-0 and in second place.

“It's early, but they're chasing us in the division right now, so those games are always important,’’ defenseman Ryan Lindgren said. “And they’re a team that we've had good battles with, a good rivalry with. And they’re a really well-coached team, that's a tough team to play against. It’s a good challenge for us.’’

The Rangers are off to a strong start. Their seven wins are third-most in the league and their defense has been stout – they are tied for second in the league in fewest goals allowed with 18. (Dallas entered Wednesday’s game against Calgary having allowed 18 in seven games.)

And though the Rangers were in the middle of the pack – tied for 15th in the 30-team league – in goals scored, with 28, their special teams have been a huge part of their success: Their power play has scored on 34.4% of its opportunities, second-most in the league.

On the road trip, which went back-and-forth across three different time zones, the Rangers found different ways to win. They controlled two of the games, rallied to win in overtime in two others, and beat Calgary in a game in which the players didn’t think they'd played well.

“I like the fact that we worked hard, really, throughout almost all the games,’’ coach Peter Laviolette said when asked what he thought his team had gained from the successful trip. “There was a third period or two where we had a significant lead and we sat back maybe a little bit more than I would have liked, and I would like to attack a little bit more. I like the fact that we fought back in a couple of games… And the fact that we stayed resilient even in that last game, we stayed resilient and kept pushing. I really liked that.’’

Carolina enters the game on a three-game winning streak. They lead the NHL in offensive zone possession time, having spent a league-high 48% of their time in the offensive zone and a league-low 33.7% in the defensive zone, according to the NHL’s Edge statistics package.

“Roddy (coach Rod Brind’Amour) has them playing the right way, typically,’’ Trocheck said. “So I'm going to expect a good hockey game.’’

Blue notes

The Rangers returned to practice after being off on Tuesday. Forward Tyler Pitlick did not practice, due to what the team called “maintenance.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.