"ESPN truly hates its hockey product" - NHL fans irate as ESPN cuts broadcast of Rangers-Hurricanes in final minute of third period 

The tensi͏on was palpable as the New York͏ Rangers and Car͏olina Hurri͏canes battled it out in Game 2 of the S͏tanle͏y Cup playof͏fs, with the score deadlocked ͏at 3-3 and on͏ly 49 sec͏ond͏s remaining in the th͏ird͏ period.

However, ͏the exci͏teme͏nt turned to frustration for viewers when ESPN's broadcast unexpectedly cut away to introductions for another game between the Dallas͏ Stars and Colorado Avalanche.

In a clear inadvertent mistake, ESPN momentarily diverted attention from the crucial moments of the Rangers-Hurricanes clash to a game slated for its network but airing on other channels due to scheduling conflicts. The abrupt interruption left fans anxious as they were awaiting the outcome of the game.

For NHL fans, ESPN's mistake was frustrating. It spoiled what should have been an exciting end to the regulation time. Fans took to X/Twitter to show their anger, as one of the fans commented:

"ESPN truly hates its hockey product"

Another fan commented on the issue:

"ESPN continues to go down the toilet…"

Other fans also vented their disappointment over the incident:

"I guess ESPN doesn’t have enough channels," one fan reacted.

"ESPN is awful," another fan said.

"I could only imagine the reaction if someone scored in that time," one fan pointed.

"They have gotten so bad," another one said.

Some fans even joked about the situation:

"Are we surprised? It's ESPN..." one fan said.

"And now won’t play the other game instead of intermission ads," another fan said.

Thankfully for fans, ESPN swiftly rectified the error and returned to the Rangers-Hurricanes action before the regulation had concluded, minimizing the disruption. Although only about 17 seconds of game time was missed, the incident left a sour taste in the mouths of fans who were robbed of witnessing the thrilling conclusion to the third period.

The drama didn't end there, as neither team managed to score in the first period of overtime, prolonging the nail-biting suspense. It wasn't until Vincent Trocheck netted a power-play goal at 7:24 of the second overtime, securing a 2-0 series lead for the Rangers, that the game finally concluded.

New York Rangers celebrate thrilling double-overtime victory

Following their thrilling double-overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round, the New York Rangers players and coach expressed their thoughts on the win.

Vincent Trocheck, who scored the game-winning goal, said (via NHL.com):

"On the goal, I couldn't tell you what happened. It went in. I don't know. I'll watch it and let you know tomorrow. … Just thankful it was us tonight."

Teammate Adam Fox praised the team's resilience:

"Great game. I thought we battled throughout. Nothing came easy, and a big goal there by 'Troch' at the end."

Coach Peter Laviolette commended Alexis Lafrenière's performance:

"For me, it's just a continuation of his regular season. There's good chemistry on that line and it's not been touched the entire year. … I think he's taken the regular season and the confidence he got from that into the playoffs."

The Rangers, now leading the series 2-0, will look to continue their win streak on the road for Game 3 in Raleigh, North Carolina.