The New York Rangers began the Stanley Cup playoffs with seven straight victories, but concern is creeping in heading into Game 6 of their Eastern Conference second-round game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C.

The Rangers have twice allowed the Hurricanes to stave off elimination, losing 4-3 in Game 4 on Saturday in Raleigh and 4-1 in Game 5 on Monday in New York, leaving the Presidents’ Trophy winners clinging to a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Desperation is a funny thing. You can’t give it to somebody. You actually have to feel it, and you have to be in it,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said on Tuesday. “As we move into the next game, and you realize now that the window’s a little smaller, that desperation level rises.”

Another loss and New York would be on the verge of becoming the fifth team in NHL history to lose a series after leading 3-0.

Carolina feels like it might have found the combination and momentum to make that happen.

“You had to have done something right to get there, so you’ve got to rely on that,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

Evgeny Kuznetsov has responded for the Hurricanes after being a healthy scratch in Game 2, scoring much-needed goals in each of the past two games.

The veteran center, who was traded from the Washington Capitals on March 8 for a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, scored 1:51 into Game 4 to give Carolina a quick lead and a boost of confidence, then broke a 1-1 tie in the third period of Game 5.

“He’s got that ability, right?” Brind’Amour said of Kuznetsov. “Just silky smooth and has a great offensive feel, there’s no doubt about it.”

The Rangers are hoping for bounce-back games from a few of their stars.

Artemi Panarin, who led New York in goals (49) and assists (71) during the regular season, has gone scoreless the past two games while combining for just two shots on goal.

Adam Fox, second on the team in assists during the regular season (56) and fourth in points (73), has gone three straight games without a point after contributing four assists in the previous four playoff games.

“There’s a lot of things that happen that aren’t always reflected on the scoresheet, and I do think that he’s contributed in a lot of different ways,” Laviolette said of Fox, a former Norris Trophy winner. “Everybody can be a little better coming off the performance (Monday) night. Not talking about Adam, but just in general.”

New York was hoping forward Filip Chytil could return after missing the past two games because of illness. He skated with the team on Tuesday but was not assigned a line during practice on Wednesday.

Chytil was a 22-goal scorer in the 2022-23 campaign. Injuries limited him to 10 games during this regular season.

Carolina defenseman Brett Pesce practiced on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury on April 22, but he’s unlikely to play in Game 6.

Regardless of who’s on the ice, Kuznetsov said he expects Game 6 to be a battle.

“It’s two beautiful teams that (are) competing against each other,” he said. “It’s a dogfight now.”