NEW YORK _ Back in action after the NHL's three-day Christmas break, the Rangers on Friday looked like a team that didn't get enough to eat over the holiday. They looked hungry.
Facing a Carolina Hurricanes team that currently holds the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Rangers started the game by throwing their bodies around, hitting everything in a white shirt in the first 10 minutes. They got their big guns into play, and they even scored a couple of power-play goals, courtesy of Mika Zibanejad.
Powered by those two goals, and goals from Chris Kreider, Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome and 39 saves from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers got their post-Christmas schedule off to a strong start, putting together a solid 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes before a Madison Square Garden crowd that included a spectator named Mark Messier. The win lifted their record to 18-15-4, pulling them to within six points of Carolina in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
