Mar 7, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; New York Rangers defensemen John Moore (17) celebrates the goal by forward Rick Nash (61) (not shown) in front of the Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin (31) at PNC Arena. The New York Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Hurricanes came into Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers one loss away from being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The Canes fell to the Rangers 4-1, thus ending all playoff hopes.

Scoring Summary

The Carolina Hurricanes jumped to an early lead in period one thanks to Patrick Dwyer. After a hard working shift, Brett Bellemore threw the puck to the front of the net from the corner, and it went right to Dwyer and he snapped it past Henrik Lundqvist.

The New York Rangers took over and tied the game at one late in period one. After the Carolina Hurricanes failed to get the puck out of the zone, Brad Richards scored short side on Cam Ward on the power play. Martin St. Louis and Derek Stepan got the assists.

50 seconds into period two, Benoit Pouliot scored to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Mats Zuccarello set him up with a great pass, and he scored easily as he was streaking down the left side uncovered .

Brad Richards made it 3-1 on a power play in the second period. The New York Rangers played catch along the point, and Richards sent a slap shot past Cam Ward. Patrick Dwyer was without a stick for most of the sequence.

Derek Stepan put the game away at 4:38 of period three to make it 4-1. After a bad turnover from the Carolina Hurricanes, the Rangers drove through the Canes zone and scored on a helpless Cam Ward. Stepan was left uncovered right in front of Ward.

My Three Stars

1st Star: Brad Richards – 2 goals, 6 shots, 17:41 TOI

2nd Star: Martin St. Louis – 3 assists, 2 shots, 16:30

3rd Star: Henrik Lundqvist – 27 saves on 28 shots, .964 save percentage

Game Analysis

The Carolina Hurricanes got officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday night in their loss to the New York Rangers.

The Carolina Hurricanes provided almost no support for goalie Cam Ward, and they showed very little interest in competing in the game. The New York Rangers wanted the game, and they gave the effort needed in route to their blow-out win.

So far this season, the Carolina Hurricanes have kept on competing every game, but they were incredibly out matched and out played against the New York Rangers.

Cam Ward was left out to dry all night. The team did a poor job with their defensive zone coverage, and it ultimately played a big role in their loss to the Rangers.

Eric Staal has checked out. He was a non factor against the New York Rangers, and it looks like he is already cashing in the season. I really don’t like questioning a players leadership, because it is not place, and I am not with them in the locker room everyday like the team is, but I’m starting to really wonder if Eric Staal is leading the team in the right direction, because he certainly isn’t leading well by example. He has 2 shots and is a -4 in his last couple of games.

The Carolina Hurricanes have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. The next big night for the Carolina Hurricanes will be April 15. That is the night of the NHL Draft Lottery.

The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the Washington Capitals on Thursday night in their last home game of the season.