Hurricanes 5 (EN), Islanders 3: Isles blow 3-0 lead for Game 2 loss, a franchise first

7 months ago  /  Lighthouse Hockey

Missing the mark, again. | Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images


Not all losses are equal. This one stung. For the second game in a row, the New York Islanders were in position to defy the experts and steal a game from heavily favored Carolina in their first-round playoff series, but for the second game in a row, the Isles walked away as the losers.
This time, however, was much worse than Game 1, both in overall performance and in how they went about losing. They were outshot 39-12 and blocked 36 more; even with score effects accounting for some of that, it was a worse showing than Game 1.
Unlike Game 1, the Isles actually had a lead — a big one, in fact. After surviving an early onslaught, the Isles were opportunistic (also a contrast to Game 1) and built a 3-0 lead by early in the second period. Their response after that point, however, was to lay off, to allow themselves to be swarmed (and some home-friendly penalty calls), as the Hurricanes achieved the outcome you fear when you have a three-goal lead with over half a game left to play.
The Canes got one back to get on the board in the second, then another to make it 3-2 midway through the third. Would’ve been better for the Isles to cough it all up there, but instead they waited until sixth attacker time, when Carolina tied it up quickly and then got the winner nine seconds later.
It was ugly, it wasted an exhausting effort by Semyon Varlamov, and it was probably their best chance to get a road win in this series. We’ve been waiting for the Isles to get some good fortune, some bounces, some hockey gods smiling upon them: that 3-0 lead was it, but they couldn’t make it count, so the hockey gods gave them the appropriate medicine. According to the ESPN broadcast, it’s the first playoff game in franchise history where the Isles had a three-goal lead and still lost.
Even if you accept the Isles had little chance coming into the series, the way this one went down will sting for a long while.
[GameCenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
First Period: Late shocks upend early Carolina pressure
Carolina came out looking to make a statement and “get to their game” right from the start, and they dominated puck possession and zone time for the first dozen minutes. They had the first eight shots on goal, and Frederik Andersen didn’t have to move much at the other end of the ice.
But the Islanders were patient rather than chasing too much, and Semyon Varlamov was there whenever shots got through. The crowd was buzzing, but they were not fed.


Apparently, not an issue #Isles pic.twitter.com/hHfnfJgqfh— (@IslesFix) April 23, 2024




With the Hurricanes unable to solve Varlamov despite that strong start, Stefan Noesen got his stick up to block Kyle MacLean’s progress through the neutral zone, away from the puck. MacLean objected, they had words and an energetic back-and-forth fight ensued. Noesen landed on top for the takedown to end the fight, then skated to the box waving to the crowd as if something had been proven.
Nothing had been proven. (Yet.)
The Islanders got the first goal three minutes later, though not before another pair of off-setting calls, with Mat Barzal going to the box for hooking and Brett Pesce for holding the stick. Soon after that 4-on-4 ended, Adam Pelech was called for tripping on Jesperi Kotkaniemi as the agile Hurricanes skater fell to the ice with Pelech as he attempted a wraparound. As far as penalty calls go, it was...a call.
With so many shots and nothing to show for it, the Hurricanes almost appeared to sit back and assume their prior good work would eventually pay off. That proved costly. The Isles broke the seal and quieted the crowd when Mike Reilly was allowed to enter the zone and weave his way behind the net before feeding Kyle Palmieri. The Isles winger’s initial shot was stopped, but he kept digging for the rebound and slid it home.
It looked like the Isles would go to the first intermission with a surprise 1-0 lead, but there was one more surprise in store: With time winding down, the Canes were casual in retrieving a dump-in, and Casey Cizikas won it behind the net. He slid it along the boards, where Mat Barzal gathered it and had Bo Horvat signaling in the high slot for a one-timer.
Barzal delivered, and Horvat’s one-timer from distance beat Frederik Andersen, creating a 2-0 lead just 15 seconds before the horn.


HORVAT MAKES IT 2-0! pic.twitter.com/J4mCGBLc8K— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 23, 2024




That was enough time for the Hurricanes to get one more scary chance, however, with Varlamov stopping a point shot and then having to move quickly to stop the rebound as time expired.
Second Period: It gets better before it gets tougher
Down 2-0, Carolina did not respond how they wanted, at least not right away. Dmitry Orlov took a holding the stick penalty early on, and the Isles had good work on the ensuing power play. J-G Pageau, in the lineup after missing Game 1 with injury, made a nice play to pull the puck out of the corner and feed Anders Lee alone at the top of the crease. Lee made a forehand-to-backhand move to slip it around Andersen as Jeff Pesce slid across just a second too late.


3-0 #ISLES! pic.twitter.com/gyFWH4fMZ7— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 23, 2024




That made it 3-0, bring the building to a brief period of silence.
But the Hurricanes responded to this big hole in a big way and did not let up. They had a long, multi-line shift of pressure in the offensive zone against some tired Islanders, including the Pelech-Pulock pairing, who eventually got a clear and a change, but the Hurricanes regrouped and restarted pressure until the officials called an imaginary interference on Mat Barzal in the slot.
Barzal and seasoned diver Andrei Svechkinov were battling for position in the slot, and when Svechkinov leaped around Barzal he fell to the ice, drawing the call. With the Islanders scrambling, it felt like the officials were just waiting for a plausible interaction to make a call and say, “See? We’re doing our jobs.”
The Isles killed that one, but there was more to come quickly. During another spell of pressure Varlamov was called for tripping Noesen, who was standing at the top of the crease. This time, the Isles couldn’t kill it off. After a nice combo play down low, Teuvo Teravainen slammed the puck into a gaping net to get the Canes on the board.
That came with seven minutes remaining in the period, and the Canes kept up the pressure afterward, while their crowd kept up the complaints about each time one of their heroes fell. Kyle Maclean had to give up his stick for an Isles defenseman’s broken stick for a second time in the period, and the Canes patiently went to work to wear the Isles down. But when they finally got a shot off, it deflected out of the play, and the Isles had a TV timeout to recover and regroup.
Somehow, they made it to the end of the period without conceding again, and official shots were 13-4 for the period — with shot attempts and blocks making the gap even larger.
Third Period: The ending you were dreading
The Canes picked up where they left off to start the third, and drew a legit tripping penalty on Cizikas 4:32 into the period. Cizikas stuck his foot out and caught Dmitry Orlov as the defenseman spun at the point. This one was a really solid kill by the Isles, with multiple clears the length of the ice and even a Carolina icing call.
It was during a stretch of rather even play that the Hurricanes got the next goal, however. Not sustained pressure, just a decent chance in the Isles zone — Seth Jarvis was able to load up at the left wing circle with a big gap between him and Robert Bortuzzo, who went down to one knee aka “the Bortuzzo Position.” The puck appeared to glance off Bortuzzo’s backside before going over Varlamov’s shoulder to make it 3-2.
For a brief moment, it looked like the Isles had responded right back, but Kyle MacLean’s deflection past Andersen was ruled a high stick on the ice and confirmed by video review. With 8:30 to go, it was still the thinnest of margins with the Isles just hanging on.
Carolina called time out with 2:49 to go, with Rod Brind’Amour leading some chalk talk and pulling Andersen for a sixth attacker.
Within 43 seconds, the Hurricanes led 4-3.
First, Svechnikov muffed a one-timer that went right to Sebastian The Lesser Aho, who tapped it in at the doorstep to tie the game at 3-3.
Off the ensuing faceoff, the Canes dumped it in and Noah Dobson was inexcusably bodied off the puck behind the net by Jordan Martinook, who then grabbed the puck and slammed it in off Varlamov’s skate.
The Isles called timeout and pulled Varlamov.
No threat with the sixth attacker, then an easy empty net tap by Jake Guentzel. Brock Nelson slashed him as he coasted to deposit the goal, then followed him afterward and they exchanged crosschecks. Palmieri flew in to confront Guentzel, but Aho grabbed him and threw him to the ice.
That put the Canes on another power play, and Jalen Chatfield took an extra whack at Varlamov after the Isles goalie gloved his point-blank try. Cizikas grabbed him and they tumbled to the ice after Chatfield did the old, “If you’re pushing me, I’m landing on your goalie” move.
Just a brutal, sudden and humiliating end to a tough night.
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