2023 Postseason: Round 1, Game 5- Hurricanes v. New York Islanders (CAR leads 3-1)

The Hurricanes have put themselves on the brink of advancing after finally getting the job done on the road. They snapped an eight-game road losing streak on Sunday afternoon with a thorough and solid performance in all areas of the game. Seth Jarvis struck early during a 5-on-3 to get the Canes ahead. Martin Necas added another on the power play and Sebastian Aho scored on a 2-on-1 with Mackenzie MacEachern to make it 3-0 after two periods. Jarvis picked up his second of the game on a breakaway in the third period before Ryan Pulock broke the shutout. MacEachern would put the dagger in the Islanders' coffin and while Bo Horvat did score a short-handed goal in the final minutes, it was way too late as the Canes won 5-2. Antti Raanta was phenomenal as he earned his third win of the postseason. It didn't come without its bumps as the Canes played with 11 forwards for most of the game after Jack Drury left in the first period on a dangerous hit from behind. Still, the Canes played a smarter game than the Islanders and were rewarded with a road victory. While tonight is a chance for the Canes to advance, there is no doubt in my mind that New York is going to come out on a mission. The Canes' job will be to find that early goal that has guided them through all three victories. There is a good bit on the line tonight because a trip back to Long Island would not be fun. 

Canes Lineup

Mackenzie MacEachern-Sebastian Aho-Seth Jarvis

Jordan Martinook-Jesperi Kotkaniemi-Martin Necas

Stefan Noesen-Jordan Staal-Jesper Fast

Paul Stastny-Derek Stepan-Jesse Puljujarvi

Jaccob Slavin-Brent Burns

Brady Skjei-Brett Pesce

Shayne Gostisbehere-Jalen Chatfield

Injuries/Scratches/Extras- Teuvo Teravainen (broken hand), Jack Drury (upper-body), Frederik Andersen (healthy), Calvin de Haan (healthy), Dylan Coghlan (healthy), Pyotr Kochetkov (healthy)

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

Following a very successful debut, Mackenzie MacEachern will be on the top line tonight with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. This comes after Jack Drury left in the first period of Game 4 on a hit from behind. It's not a concussion for Drury but he's out for tonight. Derek Stepan will draw back into the lineup on the fourth line. Frederik Andersen will be the backup as his injury has healed. 

Starting Goalies

NYI- Ilya Sorokin (1-3, 24 Saves & 5 GA in Game 4)

Even after allowing five goals on Sunday, there was little doubt in my mind that Sorokin would be in the net tonight for this pivotal game. He's the reason the Islanders stayed so close in the first two games before winning Game 3. He has something to prove tonight, making him even more dangerous. 

CAR- Antti Raanta (3-1, 27 Saves & 2 GA in Game 4)  

Raanta withstood an immense amount of pressure at the beginning of the first and third periods on Sunday. He has been everything the team needed him to be through four games in this series and tonight, Raanta can put a bow on it and earn an impressive five-game series win with another strong performance. 

Scoring Summary

1st Period

(NYI) 10:27- Pierre Engvall (1) (assisted by Brock Nelson (3))

2nd Period

(NYI) 3:16- Brock Nelson (2) (assisted by Pierre Engvall (1) & Kyle Palmieri (3))

(CAR) 13:10- Paul Stastny (2) (assisted by Jalen Chatfield (1) & Jesse Puljujarvi (1))

(NYI) 18:05- Mathew Barzal (2) (assisted by Bo Horvat (1)) 

3rd Period

(CAR) 10:28- Sebastian Aho (3) (assisted by Seth Jarvis (2) & Jesperi Kotkaniemi (1))

Let's Talk About the Game

At the end of the day, the Canes beat themselves tonight. New York did a good job of making the Canes beat themselves, but two really bad moments with the puck ended up being the difference in the game. The start of the game was almost the exact opposite of Game 4. The Canes came out flying, throwing everything at Ilya Sorokin. Mackenzie MacEachern took an early penalty but the kill was solid and didn't allow anything. New York broke the ice and I'm still not sure what Brent Burns was hoping to accomplish on the play leading up to it. Burns took his time going back for the puck as if he was about to do something with a purpose. Instead, the puck ended up along the boards, Brock Nelson sent the puck to Pierre Engvall, and he slid is past Antti Raanta to get the first goal of the game. The Islanders would take a penalty at the end of the period and it looked like the Canes had tied it for a moment. Sebastian Aho made a beautiful pass to the front of the net and Stefan Noesen buried a one-timer. Lane Lambert was very quick to challenge the play and it was clear as day that Noesen was offside on the entry and the goal was disallowed. The Canes got right back to work with the time that was added back on the play with Aho ringing the crossbar with a shot. New York would kill the penalty and make it to the intermission with the lead. 

The Islanders came out to start the second period with some fire and for all of the chances they had, they also earned some serious puck luck on their second goal. Engvall's wrister rode up the stick of a Hurricane and it hit Aho right in the face. With the puck falling to the ice, Nelson batted it out of midair and into the net to make it 2-0 just over three minutes into the period. Blood was gushing out of Aho's mouth as he went to the locker room but he would return to the game. The Canes needed to find some life. They drew another power play shortly after the Nelson goal. Brent Burns hit another post and Sorokin made a huge save on Seth Jarvis as the Islanders killed it. The spark the Canes needed would come from the fourth line and the third defensive pair. Jalen Chatfield fired a one-timer from the point and Paul Stastny redirected it through the legs of Sorokin to make it 2-1. Each team would take a penalty 20 seconds apart to put the two sides on an extended 4-on-4. This is when the game changed and it would cost the Canes dearly. In the neutral zone, Martin Necas fumbled the puck, having his pocket picked by Bo Horvat. This would spring Horvat and Mathew Barzal on a 2-on-1 and Barzal snapped one past the glove of Raanra with just under two minutes left to regain the two-goal lead. This is where the game sat as the period came to an end. 

The Hurricanes found themselves with their backs against the wall in the third period. It's not somewhere that they've been often in this series. I'll be honest, it never felt like either team played with a sense of urgency. I can understand that for New York since they had the 3-1 lead but I was surprised by the Canes' lack of urgency. The fourth line continued to push the offense for the Canes but it would be the first line that earned the goal. Jesperi Kotkaniemi flipped a puck deep and Jarvis won the race to get it. He turned and found Aho coming off of the bench and he put the shot where Mama hides the cookies as the Canes cut the deficit to 3-2 with plenty of time left. To make it even better, the Canes drew another penalty a little over a minute later. They were never able to get much going as the puck sat in a scrum along the boards for way too long. During the scrum, Aho would get Horvat up high and he would go to the box. The Canes would kill the remainder of the penalty once the 4-on-4 ended. Raanta would eventually make his way to the bench and while the Canes mounted some serious pressure, they wouldn't find the tying goal as the Islanders survived to fight another day. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that they couldn't get the job done tonight. The way the game started, the Canes deserved more than they got. They had the majority of the chances and probably should've scored more than twice. In the end, they hit two posts, had one goal disallowed, and practically gave the Islanders two goals. It's not exactly a recipe for success when you're trying to win a series. The Kotkaniemi line along with Burns and Jaccob Slavin had a tough night. Conversely, I thought the fourth line had a phenomenal night. Stastny scored a big goal and Jesse Puljujarvi picked up his first postseason point with the team. Both Chatfield and Shayne Gostisbehere played well too. Gostisbehere made an amazing pass to spring Derek Stepan on a breakaway that eventually led to a penalty. I can't really look at Raanta's night and say that he was terrible. You might want a save on either the first or third goal of the game for the Islanders but he didn't get much help from the team in front of him on either goal. If we're going to take some positives into Friday night's game, the Canes have proven they can win on Long Island with their emphatic win in Game 4. They also scored the only goal of the third period, giving them some positive momentum. Having two days off could also be big in getting Jack Drury healthy and Raanta some much-needed rest to try and finish this on the road. 

Canes' Three Stars of the Game

Third Star- Jalen Chatfield (Assist)

When some of your top guys are having rough nights, others need to step up and carry the load. I really felt Chatfield and Gostisbehere did that tonight. Chatfield recorded his first career postseason point with an assist on the Stastny redirection to get the Canes on the board. He had some serious jump tonight and while he only had two shots officially, it felt like he was more active. 

Second Star- Sebastian Aho (Goal)

There's not much he could do about getting hit in the face of the puck falling to Nelson for the goal in the second. It was one of those freak plays. The way he responded though was big. He didn't back away once he got back into the game and he was rewarded with a goal in the third period to make it close. Aho finished with four shots and a pair of hits to go along with his third goal of the postseason. 

First Star- Jesse Puljujarvi (Assist)

Since coming over at the deadline, many have not been as fond of Puljujarvi's game as I have. He hasn't produced much with the Canes, only recording two assists during the regular season, but he's always in the play when he's on the ice. Tonight, he made the important pass to the point to Chatfield for the first goal, finished with three shots, and three hits. Don't be surprised if he moves up the lineup on Friday. 

Around the League

Boston/Florida (BOS 3-1)- Bergeron seems primed to go for Game 5 as the Bruins took advantage of their extra day off to get him some practice today. Should he be ready to go for Game 5 tomorrow night, the writing might be on the wall for the Panthers and their season. 

Toronto/Tampa Bay (TOR 3-1)- Facing a 4-1 deficit entering the third period, the Maple Leafs made a comeback for the ages as Matthews scored twice and Rielly tied in the third period to force overtime. Kerfoot would be credited with the game-winner on a redirection as Toronto is one win away from advancing. 

New Jersey/New York (R) (Tied 2-2)- The road team continued their dominance in this series as Schmid gets the job done again in Game 4. The tie-breaking goal from Siegenthaler would be enough s New Jersey won 3-1 to even the series with momentum firmly on their side right now. 

Dallas/Minnesota (DAL 3-2)- An early ejection from Foligno would prove to be costly for the Wild as Dallas capitalized with two early goals. It would prove to be more than enough as the Stars won 4-0 behind the first shutout of the postseason from Oettinger. 

Edmonton/Los Angeles (Tied 2-2)- The goals just keep coming for these two teams. After Edmonton knotted the series in Game 4 with Hyman's overtime winner, they've combined for five goals in the first period tonight as the Oilers hold a 3-2 lead midway through the second. 

Colorado/Seattle (Tied 2-2)- The Kraken jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Rantanen made things interesting with two huge goals for Colorado to tie it in the second period. The game would eventually go to overtime and Eberle would be the hero as Seattle won its first home playoff game in franchise history. 

Vegas/Winnipeg (VGK 3-1)- The comeback would fall short for the Jets in Game 4 as they fell behind by two goals late in the second period. They would get one back but Brossoit would shut the door as Vegas wins both games on the road to put themselves on the verge of advancing to the second round.