RALEIGH, N.C. -- The New York Rangers are playing playoff hockey right now, according to newly acquired Martin St. Louis, who set up Derek Stepans winning goal in a 4-2 victory over Carolina on Friday night. The Rangers rallied from a goal down twice before finally taking the lead on Stepans goal with 2:46 left in the game. "This is how it is played in the playoffs," St. Louis said. "We want to play like it is the playoffs so we dont have to turn the switch on when it is the playoffs." St. Louis, long a nemesis for the Hurricanes when he played for Tampa Bay, triggered Stepans 5-on-3 goal with a stiff pass across the crease that Carolina could not defend. Stepan easily slammed the puck by Carolina goalkeeper Anton Khudobin, who was unable to slide back to the far post for the save. "When you play in a game, you obviously want to contribute," St. Louis said. "We dictated the play, but we had trouble getting past the goal line. When you get a 5-on-3 at the end of the game, youve got to make it count." Rick Nash and Ryan McDonagh also scored for the Rangers, who beat Carolina for the 10th straight time. Carl Hagelin added an empty-netter with 41 seconds left in the game. The game turned in New Yorks favour when Carolina took a pair of delay-of-game penalties in the final five minutes. Ron Hainsey went to the box first when he cleared a puck out of play from his defensive zone. And 1:12 later, Brett Bellemore joined him after making the same mistake to give the Rangers the 5-on-3. Until then, Carolina did its best to hold off the Rangers. Jeff Skinner scored on a penalty shot in the third period that gave Carolina a 2-1 lead. He was awarded the chance when Anton Stralman was called for obstructing Skinners breakaway. But Carolinas lead was short-lived as Nash evened the score 2-2 with for his 20th of the season. "There was a lot of patience," Nash said. "We stuck with the process and it worked tonight." Carolina took its initial lead late in the first period as Jordan Staal scored. That stood until midway through the third period. Defenceman McDonagh scored short-handed for the Rangers to tie the game with 12:35 left. It was New Yorks third short-handed goal in two games after getting a pair in its last game, a 3-2 loss to Toronto. Carolinas power-play woes continued as the Hurricanes were 0 for 4, including a 5-on-3 early in the second period. Carolina has gone seven games without a power-play goal, an 0-for-27 span. Khudobin was outstanding through most of the game, finishing with 40 saves. He just didnt have enough help down the stretch on the penalty kill. "Very frustrated," said coach Kirk Muller. "I thought we did everything we were supposed to do. Having the lead that late you have to be able to hold that off and win the hockey game and we didnt." NOTES -- Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for New York. ... Carolina D Andrej Sekera played in his 400th NHL game. ... Rangers C Mats Zuccarello returned to the lineup after missing the last four games because of and injured hand suffered while playing for Norway at the Olympics. Vladislav Namestnikov Jersey . As the schedule flipped from November to December, they would go on to drop five straight, falling six games below the .500 mark before a franchise-altering trade turned them into an unrecognizable team. Joe Kocur Rangers Jersey .C. - Goodyear has warned teams that increased speeds at Charlotte Motor Speedway will put a heavy emphasis on the right front tires in Saturday nights race a€” a potentially key development for drivers trying to advance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. http://www.rangershockeyonlineshop.com/m...key-jersey/.com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. Brian Leetch Rangers Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Wednesdays 3pm et trade deadline for all the updates. Blue line help for Red Wings? In addition to what he reported in Insider Trading, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun wrote on ESPN. Pavel Buchnevich Jersey . Dancevic won his singles match on Friday, defeating Go Soeda 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-1, to even the best-of-five series at a game apiece. World No. 18 Kei Nishikori defeated Peter Polansky in the opening match, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.Ahead of Sundays derby, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, we examine how the balance of power has shifted in Manchester - and what Pep Guardiolas arrival could mean for the rivalry… Pep Guardiola to City may have been footballs worst kept secret but the confirmation of his move to the Etihad Stadium in February still sent reverberations around the red half of Manchester.As City were tying up a three-year contract for the most successful coach on the planet and a man famed for his thrilling attacking football, United were in the midst of a haphazard plod through the season which has left their under-pressure manager Louis van Gaal looking increasingly forlorn. It was an alarming contrast. Fast forward six weeks and the Guardiola announcement appears to have done little to aid Citys title challenge under the outgoing Manuel Pellegrini, but on Super Sunday they have the opportunity to open up a seven-point gap on their neighbours, and after Uniteds Europa League exit against Liverpool, the spotlight is firmly fixed on Old Trafford once again. Pep Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season Just twenty-four hours prior to United and Liverpool going head to head on Thursday night, Citys next manager had emerged from Bayern Munichs Champions League last-16 tie against Juventus with his reputation in tact thanks to an extraordinary salvage job in Bavaria.The hosts were in deep trouble at 2-0 down, but a four-goal response sent Guardiola into the Champions League quarter-finals for his seventh consecutive season as a manager. Not once has he fallen short of the last four. Nor has he ever finished a domestic season outside of the top two. It is statistics such as those that make Guardiolas imminent move to City appear all the more galling for United. Here is a coach capable of laying the foundations for years of Premier League dominance. How could Ed Woodward and the Old Trafford hierarchy have allowed their bitter rivals to swoop ahead of them?For their part, United insist there was no attempt to hijack the move, but if Van Gaal is relieved of his duties in the summer, widespread reports suggest Jose Mourinho will be the man they turn to. The former Chelsea manager has plenty of experience of going toe-to-toe with Guardiola, after all, and enjoyed sweet victories over the Catalan with both Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Mourinho and Man Utd A timeline of events involving Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Manchester United. Regardless of who is in charge of United next season, however, they are already playing a daunting game of catch-up with their neighbours. Few could have envisaged just how far the Reds would fall after Sir Alex Fergusons retirement in 2013, but City finished 22 points clear of them in 2013/14, and they were nine clear in 2014/15. United have endured a poor Premier League season under Louis van Gaal The gap is down to four points ahead of Sundays derby, but that is hardly due to progress at Old Trafford. And while Citys title challenge has faltered, they are still in Champions League contention and have already lifted the Capital One Cup. Uniteds only hope of silverware, meanwhile, hinges on an awkward FA Cup quarter-final replay away to West Ham.With Guardiola in charge and the promise of unlimited backing in the transfer market, it is difficult to envisage anything over than considerable improvement at City next year. Defence and central midfieldd are areas in need of improvement, but the level of surgery required is nothing compared to Uniteds.dddddddddddd Hart v De Gea Which goalkeeper will come out on top in the Manchester derby? Injuries have exposed shortcomings in practically every area of Van Gaals squad, with the manager forced to thrust untested youngsters into the fray due to a glaring lack of depth and quality in the senior ranks.United can take heart from the emergence of teenagers such as Marcus Rashford and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, but repeated mistakes in the transfer market have taken a heavy toll over the last 18 months, with the brilliant form of Angel di Maria and Javier Hernandez at PSG and Bayer Leverkusen ramming the point home. Javier Hernandez has scored 23 goals for Bayer Leverkusen this season And while Guardiolas stay in Manchester may not extend beyond the three years of his contract, Citys huge investment in a new youth academy and state-of-the-art training facilities shows long-term preparation the like of which cannot be seen on the other side of the city - where a confused transfer policy points to muddled thinking.Citys long-term planning and strategy is clear, so is their succession planning, said Sky Sports News HQs James Cooper in February. In truth thats borne out by the building of the City Football Academy and the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance. How City persuaded Pep Sky Sports News HQs James Cooper explains how Man City lured Pep Guardiola to the Etihad. So while United grapple with decisions over their immediate future, City are already grooming Guardiolas successor. The New York City FC post is something of a job interview for Patrick Vieira, added Cooper. He is being seriously looked at as the next manager of the club after Guardiolas three years.With Guardiola on his way to City and given their own current malaise, its easy to see why United might turn to Mourinho. The 53-year-old is one of few coaches with a CV to rival the Bayern boss, and his trophy haul includes three Premier League crowns, two Champions Leagues and - most significantly - a La Liga title won at the expense of his old foe. Jose Mourinho has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United But what of the long-term? Mourinho talked of creating a dynasty at Chelsea, however his managerial stints tend to unravel spectacularly - and his return to Stamford Bridge was no exception. Transforming United back into major contenders would be his toughest challenge yet, and history highlights the risks involved.The outcome of Sundays derby could have a significant impact on how United finish the season and it could also influence their decision-making over the coming months. Whatever the result, though, it is impossible to escape the reality that only one of the Manchester sides is primed for long-term success. United are in danger of being left behind.Watch the Manchester derby live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 3.30pm on Sunday. Also See: Giggs: Martial the model Hart v De Gea Aguero: Title slipping away When Geoff met Martial and Sterling ' ' '