Chris Kreider’s natural hat trick put the Rangers in front.
Igor Shesterkin made sure they stayed there.
The Russian netminder turned in perhaps the biggest of his 33 saves on the night with 2:43 left in the third period to preserve a 4-3 Blueshirts lead en route to a 5-3 win over the Hurricanes in Game 6 that sent the Presidents’ Trophy winners into the Eastern Conference Finals.
Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov found himself alone with the puck in the slot after a faceoff in the Rangers’ end, with only Shesterkin between him and a tie game in Raleigh, N.C.
The Hurricanes winger — who had already racked up a pair of assists on the evening — tagged a snap shot for the far post, but Shesterkin coolly flashed his blocker and directed the puck safely into the corner.
The save was emblematic of the goalie’s even-keeled nature, with his demeanor not swaying despite giving up three goals before the halfway point of the game.
“There’s an edge to him if we’re losing, but he’s a pretty consistent level-headed guy all the time,” Jacob Trouba told The Post’s Larry Brooks on Wednesday. “But this morning, you could tell he was gearing up. He knows what’s on the line.”
Back-to-back losses after three straight wins to open the semifinal series had the Rangers feeling the pressure — especially after falling flat in a 4-1 Game 5 loss that saw the Hurricanes post four third-period goals, three of them getting behind Shesterkin.
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Carolina wasn’t going to replicate that kind of luck on Thursday night.
Not against the Rangers, who led the NHL with 28 come-from-behind wins during the regular season, and not against Shesterkin, who backstopped the team to eight playoff wins so far this year.
He’ll have a chance for more with the Rangers headed to the Eastern Conference Final, awaiting the winner of the Bruins-Panthers series.
