William Carrier came through late Thursday night, and the Carolina Hurricanes left UBS Arena with a 5-3 win over the New York Islanders.
Carrier snapped the tie with 5:08 left in the third period, finishing a backhand chance at 14:52 after setup work from Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. Jalen Chatfield then closed it out with an empty-net goal at 19:09.
The game had already swung back and forth plenty before Carrier’s winner. Carolina jumped ahead fast, getting goals from Logan Stankoven at 0:57 of the first period and Jesperi Kotkaniemi at 3:20 to build a 2-0 lead before the opening frame was even settled.
New York answered in the second and made it a track meet. Mitchell Chaffee tipped in a goal at 3:40, then Brayden Schenn tied it 2-2 on a wraparound at 5:44. Svechnikov pushed Carolina back in front with a backhand at 6:44, but Victor Eklund answered again for the Islanders at 17:13 on a slap shot, with Schenn and Emil Heineman on the assists.
Svechnikov finished with a goal and an assist, while Aho picked up two assists.
Carolina controlled the shot count, finishing with a 39-27 edge. Brandon Bussi made 24 saves for the Hurricanes, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 of 38 shots for the Islanders.
Neither team found the power play. Carolina went 0 for 2, and New York went 0 for 4.
The Islanders had the edge in the faceoff circle, winning 65.6% of draws, and they delivered 26 hits to Carolina’s 16. The Hurricanes, though, got in front of 22 shots compared with New York’s 12.
Carolina moved to 13-3-2 with the win, while New York dropped to 7-6-2.
In Other News...
Islanders Are Taking A Low-Risk Look At A Former First-Round Pick
The Islanders AHL affiliate is taking a measured look at a veteran who once carried first-round expectations, bringing Robby Fabbri into camp on a professional tryout agreement. It is the kind of low-commitment move teams use when they want a closer look without tying up roster space, especially this early in the process.
Hamilton also added Antonio Stranges on a PTO, giving the club another experienced option to evaluate after he logged 70 games with the Texas Stars last season. For the Islanders, the appeal is obvious: a chance to see whether either player can fit into the organizations mix before anything more permanent is decided. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Let A Promising Comeback End In A Brutal Finish
The Islanders did enough to make this one feel salvageable after falling behind early against Carolina, clawing back to tie the game and give themselves a real chance to steal points on the road. Semyon Varlamov kept them within striking distance with 34 saves, and the penalty kill did its job, but the power play never cashed in on four chances, leaving the margin for error far too thin.
New York still had life late into the third period, when the game tightened into the kind of finish that can swing on one clean look or one mistake. Instead, the Hurricanes found the decisive goal from William Carrier, and the Islanders were left to absorb a loss that felt especially harsh after how hard they worked to erase the early hole. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Are Running Out Of Time To Turn Good Play Into Points
The Islanders have spent the opening stretch of the season trying to convince themselves their process is close to where it needs to be. At 7-6-2 through 15 games, they have been good enough to stay in the mix but not good enough to build much cushion, and captain Bo Horvat has made it clear the next step has to be turning stronger stretches of play into actual points. Sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division, they are already feeling the pressure of a crowded race.
Pete DeBoer spent Fridays practice trying to squeeze more out of the group, adjusting both the lines and the power play as the club looks for a spark before the standings start to separate. The Islanders know the margin is shrinking, and with the Eastern Conference wild-card picture tightening, every missed opportunity starts to carry a little more weight. They have shown enough to believe they can climb, but belief only matters if the wins start arriving soon. [Read more 🡒]