Hurricanes 4 (EN), Islanders 1: This is us.
The obligatory Aho-squared photo. | Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
An entirely predictable result. The New York Islanders weren’t ever really in it and lost 4-1 at home to the Carolina Hurricanes.
That’s the story.
This makes the five-game spiral 0-4-1, with other wild card chasers and playoff holders (Red Wings, Flyers, Devils) picking up two standings points on the night.
[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]
The Islanders started off okay, but it’s their kryptonite Hurricanes so usually a decent start doesn’t matter.
And it didn’t. Things got bad quickly.
Seth Jarvis opened scoring with 7:11 left in the first period, knocking down a point shot and then squeaking it through Ilya Sorokin’s legs. It was quickly 2-0 two minutes later when Jarvis scored again.
And then, brutally, in the waning seconds of the period on a Hurricanes power play, Carolina rushed up the ice, created a nice entry with an overlap at the blueline, and Martin Necas laced a shot to the top corner over Sorokin’s shoulder with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.
It was 3-0 going into the first intermission, the Isles booed off the ice. The shellshock for the whole building lasted through the second period — where at least the Isles tried, but you knew they were already done.
Early in the third, Kyle Palmieri got one back at 4:30, controlling a rebound off a Brock Nelson shot, but you still knew they were done.
Nothing else happened, they pulled the goalie early with a multi-goal deficit, and Penguin artifact Jake Guentzel scored into the empty net.
Game over.
Lineup Desperation
Pierre Engvall, who participated in warmups, was a late (healthy?) scratch, replaced by Hudson Fasching. Patrick Roy tried new lines, then tried tweaks to those, to get something going from this group.
Isles in warmups against Carolina:Pelech-DobsonRomanov-PulockReilly-AhoNelson-Horvat-PalmieriLee-Pageau-BarzalEngvall-Cizikas-HolmstromMartin-MacLean-Clutterbuck— Ethan Sears (@ethan_sears) March 19, 2024
Updated #Isles lines as Patrick Roy looks for something:Nelson-Horvat-PalmieriLee-Barzal-HolmstromCizikas-Pageau-FaschingMartin-MacLean-Clutterbuck— Joe Pantorno (@JoePantorno) March 20, 2024
Up Next
A tough week — and no doubt this bad slide — continues Thursday in Detroit before they come home for a back-to-back against the Jets (a matinee!!!) and Devils.
Should be fun....
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