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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Game one saw an Islanders team come out ready to play in Raleigh. Carolina got the early power play goal thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov<\/a> but it was New York who controlled most of the game until essentially the third period. Stefan Noesen<\/a> would pull out the game-winner in the third period with Martin Necas<\/a> sealing the deal with an empty netter for Carolina.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Game two started almost completely opposite. The Hurricanes burst out of the gate peppering Semyon Varlamov<\/a> 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<\/a> would provide goal two in the third period.<\/p>\n And then, with the goalie pulled, Sebastian Aho<\/a> would score the game-tying goal with PNC Arena exploding. Less than ten seconds later, Jordan Martinook<\/a> would score again to put the home team up 4-3. Jake Guentzel<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> and Dmitry Orlov<\/a>. The Islanders would push back in the second to pull it within one on a Pierre Engvall<\/a> goal. But Carolina would regain the lead with a Sebastian Aho<\/a> wrister. Even though Brock Nelson<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n FREDERIK ANDERSEN. WHAT A SAVE ?<\/p>\n (?: @BR_OpenIce<\/a>) \u2014 BarDown (@BarDown) April 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nGame Two Big Guns<\/h3>\n
Game Three Defence and Goaltending<\/h3>\n
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