The first-round matchup of the Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders has started off with a mix of excitement and expected play. There were some notable individual performances but what this series has shown so far is Carolina’s strength throughout the depth of its lineup and next man-up ability.
Everyone Driving, No Passengers for Hurricanes vs the Islanders
In this series, Carolina has not really played a complete game to their standards yet. Yeah, game two was lopsided as far as shot attempts, but to call that a full 60-minute complete game would be a lie. You have to give the Islanders credit because they have found ways to counter Carolina’s tactics. But it just hasn’t been enough. Every game has seen something a little different. And what that really shows here is that Carolina’s depth, experience and skill level is simply taking over the series so far.
Game One Depth and Goaltending
Game one saw an Islanders team come out ready to play in Raleigh. Carolina got the early power play goal thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov but it was New York who controlled most of the game until essentially the third period. Stefan Noesen would pull out the game-winner in the third period with Martin Necas sealing the deal with an empty netter for Carolina.
Carolina really didn’t get close to their team game in this one until the third period. They struck early on the power play but the Islanders really controlled most of the play. It was really goaltender Frederik Andersen who held Carolina in the game until Noesen could break through late. He finished the game saving 34 of 35 shots with a .971 SV%. Had it not been for Andersen’s stellar play, this game might have ended differently.
But you have to score to win. And Carolina’s depth showed as newcomer Kuznetsov finished the night with a goal and an assist and Noesen finished with the game-winning goal. The penalty kill was perfect and the team pulled it out even though they may not have deserved to by certain metrics. Final shots were 34 to 26 in favour of New York.
Game Two Big Guns
Game two started almost completely opposite. The Hurricanes burst out of the gate peppering Semyon Varlamov with shots. The Islanders didn’t have a shot until the back half of the first period. However, at the end of the period, the Islanders went to the locker room up 2-0. The Islanders would break the Hurricanes strong penalty kill with a power play goal in the second period as well to go up 3-0. But then the Hurricanes woke up. They got a power play goal themselves to finish the period down 3-1. Seth Jarvis would provide goal two in the third period.
And then, with the goalie pulled, Sebastian Aho would score the game-tying goal with PNC Arena exploding. Less than ten seconds later, Jordan Martinook would score again to put the home team up 4-3. Jake Guentzel sealed the deal with an empty netter and the Hurricanes skated off in a shocking 5-3 comeback win. Shot attempts in that game finished with an astonishing 110-28 favour for Carolina as their strength in driving play really showed.
But as much as Carolina dominated the shot attempts and the play, spotting the Islanders a three-goal lead was anything but ideal. After hitting the post what seemed like 100 times, Carolina finally started getting the goals to fall. And each of them, with maybe the exception of Martinook, were plays from the Hurricanes top guys. Goals from Teravainen, Jarvis, Aho and Guentzel as well as assists from Andrei Svechnikov and Guentzel led the comeback victory. This was a game where Carolina needed the top guys to take over. And they did. It was a different flavour game than game one but a win nonetheless.
Game Three Defence and Goaltending
Game three on Long Island saw the Islanders outshooting the Hurricanes early but Carolina maintained composure and ended the first period up 2-0. These goals were off the sticks of a pair of defencemen in Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov. The Islanders would push back in the second to pull it within one on a Pierre Engvall goal. But Carolina would regain the lead with a Sebastian Aho wrister. Even though Brock Nelson would again bring the Islanders within one, Carolina’s defence would withstand the Islanders onslaught in the third period. Well, defence and more Andersen magic. He stood on his head making highlight reel saves including this one below.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN. WHAT A SAVE ?
(?: @BR_OpenIce)
pic.twitter.com/hcdw71gUm2— BarDown (@BarDown) April 26, 2024
This game was more even kill than either game one or two but again saw other elements of Carolina’s team shine. Aho put in the game-winner while Andersen stole the show again, but it was Carolina’s defence that pulled through in this one. As we previously took a look at in an article here, Orlov could be that x factor for Carolina these playoffs. Two goals from defencemen and solid shutdown play at the end were the name of the game.
Looking Ahead at Hurricanes vs Islanders
These three matchups of the Hurricanes vs Islanders have shown that Carolina has the depth and skill to win games in a variety of ways. Without truly playing a complete game yet, Carolina has found a way to get up 3-0 in the series from a full team effort. But they will need that again come game four. The Islanders forced their way into the playoffs at the end of the season and once again find their backs against the wall. Expect them to come out playing like it’s their last chance on Saturday.
Islanders Goaltending
One big story for New York has been goaltending. Varlamov took the starts in the first two games and played relatively well. But Patrick Roy decided to switch to Ilya Sorokin in game three to provide a shake-up. However, after the third goal, Roy pulled him in favour of Varlamov. At this point, Varlamov is likely to get the start for the Islanders in game four.
Hurricanes Updates
Meanwhile, Carolina had some updates themselves. Andersen has likely earned the crease for now BUT I also would not be surprised to see Rod Brind’Amour entertain putting Pyotr Kochetkov in. That sounds kind of crazy but they ran the rotation through the end of the year and being up 3-0, giving Andersen some added rest may not be bad long term. You can’t look past this game at all as it’s still a series, but Kochetkov is a more than capable goaltender who can hold down the net.
In addition, it was reported that Jesper Fast is likely done for the rest of the season after initial reports seemed more optimistic. You hate to see a guy who works as hard as he does to miss the playoffs due to an injury in a meaningless game 82. Fortunately for Carolina, they do have depth, but it doesn’t make his loss unnoticeable.
Game four of this Hurricanes vs Islanders matchup is on Saturday and should be a tough battle.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
