2022-23 Regular Season, Game 76: Hurricanes (48-18-9) v. New York Islanders

The skid was snapped last night as the Hurricanes dominated the Montreal Canadiens for 60 minutes, outshooting them 50-14 in a 3-0 victory in Montreal. The final score isn't reflective of just how dominant the Canes were. They spent most of the night in front of Sam Montembeault and fired from all angles. Brady Skjei scored early in the first period, breaking the franchise's record for most goals from the defense in a single season with the 52nd goal from the blue line. Paul Stastny would score on a redirection and Sebastian Aho buried a goal on the power play in the second to push the lead to 3-0 and it would stay that way until the final horn as Antti Raanta returned to the lineup with a 14-save shutout, his fourth of the season. It was a solid night up and down the lineup as the Canes swept the season series with Montreal. Every line contributed at least one point and the team remained a point ahead of the Devils. Tonight, the Canes will host their final division opponent of the season in what could be a potential first-round matchup when the postseason starts. 

Projected Lines/Pairs

Jordan Martinook-Sebastian Aho-Martin Necas

Stefan Noesen-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Jesse Puljujarvi

Jack Drury-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan-Seth Jarvis

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere-Jalen Chatfield

Frederik Andersen

Antti Raanta

Injuries/Scratches- Teuvo Teravainen (illness), Calvin de Haan (healthy), Dylan Coghlan (healthy),

IR- Andrei Svechnikov (Torn ACL), Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (concussion)

The Canes will go with the same group they've played with the last two games and that got them the win last night in Montreal as Teuvo Teravainen misses his third game with an illness. Frederik Andersen gets the start in the second half of the back-to-back. While Raanta's workload last night was minimal, it's best not to push him too hard out of the gate. Andersen's last start was the heart-breaking 3-2 loss on Thursday in Detroit. He's 1-1-0 against the Islanders this season, starting the 6-2 loss the Canes suffered at home and the 5-2 win on Long Island in their last meeting. 

Tonight's Opponent: New York Islanders (39-29-9, 87 Points, 4th in the Metropolitan, 1st WC)

Since acquiring Bo Horvat at the deadline, the Islanders have been playing some very good hockey. They're 14-7-4 since the deadline and maintain a two-point lead for the first wild card spot. They've been doing it recently without Matt Barzal in the lineup. While they still look like a lock for the playoffs, they've hit a small bump in the last week, losing three of their last five, including a one-sided defeat against Tampa Bay last night. Ilya Sorokin started in the net for the Islanders but he would be chased in the second period after allowing four goals on 21 shots. Five different players would score for Tampa and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 38 shots he faced in a 5-0 victory for the Lightning. Their loss makes the wild card race a little more interesting, though they still have a little bit of room to work with. Brock Nelson continues to have a career season. He's reached 30 goals for the second time in his career and has already shattered his career high in points. Sorokin, despite his rough start last night, has an argument to be a Vezina finalist. They are very similar to the Hurricanes, a very strong defensive team that has some trouble finding the back of the net at times.  

Last Meeting v. Carolina- For as good as these teams are on defense, each of their three meetings has been decided by three or more goals. The last battle was in late January on Long Island. The first period featured two large momentum swings. The Staal line got it going early with Jordan Staal scoring 44 seconds into the contest and Jesper Fast picking up another goal to give the Canes a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the game. The Islanders struck back twice at the end of the first with Simon Holmstrom and Nelson scoring 100 seconds apart to tie the game after the first. From there, Sebastian Aho took over. He broke the tie late in the second period before scoring twice in the third to complete the natural hat trick and give the Canes the 5-2 victory to win both games on Long Island. Frederik Andersen made 29 saves to outduel Sorokin and earn the victory. 

New York's Starting Goalie: Ilya Sorokin (28-20-7, 2.41 GAA, .922 SV%)- After playing just over half of the game last night before being pulled, Sorokin will start again tonight. His loss last night was his first regulation loss in six starts. Like his team, Sorokin has been fantastic since the deadline, going 12-4-3 with a .921 save percentage. He's started all three games for the Islanders against the Canes this season, going 1-2-0 and allowing nine goals. He's 2-3-0 against the Canes in his career with a 3.05 GAA and a .900 save percentage. 

New York Player to Watch: Jean-Gabriel Pageau- Since joining the Islanders a few seasons ago, Pageau hasn't been the scorer they were hoping he'd be. While he's fifth on the team in scoring, he's scored just 12 goals, one of the lowest totals of his career. Pageau had a nice four-game point streak in mid-March but has scored just one point in his last five games. He's also been historically quiet in his career against the Canes. He has no points this season in three games and just five points in 24 career meetings. Still, I think it's worth watching him tonight to see if he can't help the Islanders find some offense. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(NYI) 17:33- Jean-Gabriel Pageau (13) (assisted by Pierre Engvall (12) & Scott Mayfield (17))

2nd Period

(CAR) 9:27- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (15) (assisted by Jesse Puljujarvi (10) & Stefan Noesen (21))

3rd Period

(CAR) 2:31- Jordan Martinook (12) (assisted by Jaccob Slavin (13))

Let's Talk About the Game

This was my first game in-person since the Stadium Series game in February and the crowd during the third period might've been the loudest non-playoff crowd I've ever been in. This was a big game for the team as they looked to pad their lead in the division against the team they could meet in the first round. I was a little surprised the Islanders turned back to Ilya Sorokin for tonight's game but he played very well, seemingly putting last night behind him. He was especially sharp early, denying some good chances from the Canes. Arguably their best chance of the period came while short-handed as Sebastian Aho tried to power to the net but was unable to elevate a shot. The Canes would kill the penalty but New York would strike first a few minutes later. In a similar style that we've seen from the Canes lately, they largely dominated the first period until Jean-Gabriel Pageau buried a one-timer with a perfectly placed shot over the glove of Frederik Andersen with less than 2:30 to go in the first. Despite a 15-7 edge in shots, the Canes found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 game. 

The second period would be much kinder to the Hurricanes. It didn't start that way as Brent Burns had a shot hit the crossbar to deny the Canes the tying goal. Martin Necas almost found the answer on a one-timer but he either mishit it or Sorokin made a spectacular save to keep the Islanders ahead by a goal. The good fortune would eventually come as Jesperi Kotkaniemi finally found an answer to Sorokin. The entire second line would contribute to the goal as Stefan Noesen gave a pass to Jesse Puljujarvi to enter the zone. He dropped the puck to Kotkaniemi and he snapped one that managed to squeak through the arm of Sorokin and trickle across the goalline to tie the game right before the halfway point of the second. The second line continued to push and probably should've taken the lead. Puljujarvi picked up a puck with Sorokin down and the net wide open. He proceeded to put it off of the inside of the post and it stayed out. Meanwhile, life was pretty easy for Andersen. He nearly gave away the lead late in the period after he was unable to control a rebound. Andersen tried to lunge for the rebound but missed it. Fortunately, Jaccob Slavin was in the crease to deny anything from getting through as the game remained tied going into the intermission. 

As I said earlier, the Caniacs were buzzing for the third period. It seemed like the team sensed that and gave everyone in attendance something to cheer for early. Slavin would spring Aho and Jordan Martinook on a 2-on-1, the latter with the puck. The Islanders focused all of their attention on the Canes' goals leader and allowed Martinook to skate right in and snipe one to the short-side of Sorokin to give the Canes the lead for the first time tonight. New York didn't go down easily, playing their best period of the night in the third. Unfortunately for them, Andersen played his best period of the night in the third. Things looked got very interesting as Aho was called for a cross-checking penalty late in the period, giving New York two minutes to find the tying goal. The problem is that the penalty kill continued to look tough to beat. They killed the penalty and right as he left the box, the Hurricanes' Aho was hooked by the Islanders' Sebastian Aho to put the Canes on the power play with just about 2:30 left. The Islanders, down a goal, opted to pull Sorokin in the final minute to make it a 5-on-5 before the penalty ended. Kotkaniemi almost netted his second of the night but he rang the post from center ice. The defense would hold strong after the power play ended, hanging on to their 2-1 victory to earn a very big two points. 

Playing in a game a night after you had to clear customs to return to the country doesn't sound like a fun thing to do. It didn't seem to faze the Canes at all tonight. They played a sound game defensively, denying the Islanders from getting any excellent chances and never allowing the first goal from New York put a damper on their game. In the end, it gained them some ground in the standings with the Devils getting demolished in Winnipeg tonight. The second line stole the show, especially in the second period. Puljujarvi picked up his first point as a Hurricanes, then nearly scored his first goal. Jalen Chatfield had an excellent game defensively. He was pushing guys everywhere and winning battles in front of the net to make Andersen's night easier. Speaking of Andersen, he was also very good tonight. He wasn't as busy as Sorokin was but he was better at the end of the night. The Islanders aren't the offensive juggernaut that the Devils or the Rangers are, so there are going to be nights where two or three goals are enough to win a game. The Kotkaniemi goal is likely one Sorokin is going to want back. It's hard to win a game when the goalie across the ice seems to be just as locked in. It was a solid way to end the division schedule as the Canes finished 19-6-1 against the comrades in the Metropolitan Division. That's not too bad if you ask me. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Jesse Pujularvi (Assist)

It has to feel good to get that first point. It must feel even better when that first point is as consequential as this one was. Without Puljujarvi's perfect pass, Kotkaniemi likely doesn't score his goal. We'll probably need to talk more about how he didn't score shortly after that but we'll table it for another day. He added three hits tonight too and just seemed to be all over the ice all night. 

Second Star- Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Goal)

It doesn't matter how pretty or ugly a goal is just as long as it crosses the line legally. That's what we got tonight with Kotkaniemi's tying goal in the second period. He had a few other chances and was a few inches away from picking up his second into the empty net. Kotkaniemi also sacrificed his body tonight, blocking three shots to lead the team. 

First Star- Jordan Martinook (Goal)

Until it was brought up during the postgame show on the radio, I had no clue Martinook hadn't scored a goal since February 1. You'd have never guessed that based on the shot he beat Sorokin with. Martinook looked like he does that every night with that release. His five shots led the team tonight and he also laid a couple of hits. First-line Martinook was the answer tonight, getting the Canes the two points. 

What's Next for the Canes

It's a busy week ahead for the Canes as we enter the final full week of the regular season. They'll play their penultimate home game on Tuesday night with the Ottawa Senators coming to town. Ottawa dropped a 4-3 game in overtime in Columbus today. The Canes will then begin their final long road trip of the season with stops in Nashville on Thursday, Buffalo on Saturday afternoon, and Ottawa next Monday. The magic number to clinch the division sits at eight points if my math is correct.

What's Next for the Teams in the Playoff Hunt

New Jersey (104 Points, 5 GR, 3 Points Behind the Canes for 1st)- The Jets laid it on the Devils night, defeating them 6-1 with Noc Hischier scoring in the final 15 seconds to end the shutout. They'll be at home for their next two, Pittsburgh and Columbus, before going to Beantown next Saturday. 

New York (R) (101 Points, 5 GR, 3 Points Behind the Devils for 2nd)- The Rangers salvaged a tough road trip by picking up a big win in Washington today, 5-2. They're off until Wednesday when they host the Lightning before traveling to St. Louis the next night. 

New York (I) (87 Points, 4 GR, 1st Wild Card, the Canes' current 1st round opponent)- Despite the loss tonight in Raleigh, the Islanders remain to hold onto the first Wild Card. They have an even longer break than the Rangers as they don't play until Thursday against the Lightning on Long Island. 

Pittsburgh (86 Points, 5 GR, 2nd Wild Card, 1 Point Behind New York)- The Penguins flushed yesterday's loss to Boston by picking up two big points against the Flyers today to jump back into the 2nd WC spot. They'll be in New Jersey on Tuesday before hosting Minnesota on Thursday. 

Florida (85 Points, 5 GR, 1 Point out of the Playoffs)- The Panthers were idle today, allowing the Penguins to leapfrog them in the standings with their win. Their next two will be at home against Buffalo on Tuesday and Ottawa on Thursday.