Mickey Togs

Chris Kreider had a third-period hat trick to help the New York Rangers erase a two-goal deficit and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 in Game 6 to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Kreider single-handedly erased the Hurricanes’ 3-1 lead entering the final period. The go-ahead score came when he got position on Jalen Chatfield at the top of the crease and tipped in Ryan Lindgren’s wraparound attempt to make it 4-3 with at the 15:41 mark.

That finally allowed the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers to put away the Hurricanes, who had won two straight after falling into a 3-0 hole in the best-of-7 series. The Hurricanes appeared on the verge of forcing a Game 7 for a pressure-packed finale, but couldn’t contain Kreider and the Rangers’ surge in the final 14 minutes.

The Eastern Conference Final is set.

The Rangers will face the Panthers, who are looking for a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final, after Florida finished off the Bruins in Game 6 of their series on Friday night with a 2-1 victory.

This series, which will start at Madison Square Garden pits the Metropolitan Division victors against the Atlantic Division winners.

It is one Stanley Cup-winning coach, Peter Laviolette, against the coach he replaced to get his ring 20 years ago, Paul Maurice.

It is one legendary Russian goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky, against another well on his way to all-time status, Igor Shesterkin.

The two sides have faced off just once before in the playoffs, with the Rangers beating Florida in five games in the 1997 Eastern Quarterfinals.

This, however, is a test befitting the Rangers as they look to defeat another franchise looking to call itself the new preeminent team in the Eastern Conference with the Lightning’s decline.

Hulk Hogan fans will have the chance to buy some special merchandise of their favorite wrestler as the WWE is planning to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hulkamania.

Hogan is one of the biggest names in the history of the wrestling business, helping WWE take flight as the leading wrestling promotion in the world for the last several decades under Vince McMahon.

Hogan first held the WWE Title in 1984 and last won it in 2002. In addition to all of his accolades in WWE, he also helped spark the Monday Night Wars, the hottest period in the history of the business between WCW and WWE when he formed the NWO with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall in the late 90s.

Hogan began to slow down his in-ring schedule in 2003, when he would work sparingly and later had a run in TNA Wrestling. Look for Hogan to make new TV appearances as the company celebrates the anniversary.