2024 Postseason: 1st Round, Game 2: Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

After the Hurricanes got out ahead of the series with a 3-1 win on Saturday night, they looked to follow it up by defending home ice again on Monday. The two sides split goals in the first period before Stefan Noesen broke the 1-1 tie in the third period, and Martin Necas added the empty-net goal. The Islanders hoped to turn the tables against the Canes in Game 2 ahead of the series' shift to Long Island later in the week.

Scoring Summary

1st Period

NYI (16:22)- Kyle Palmieri (1) (assisted by Mike Reilly (1) & Brock Nelson (1))

NYI (19:45)- Bo Horvat (1) (assisted by Mathew Barzal (1) & Casey Cizikas (1))

2nd Period

NYI (3:54)- Anders Lee (1) PP (assisted by Jean-Gabriel Pageau (1) & Pierre Engvall (1))

CAR (13:01)- Teuvo Teravainen (1) PP (assisted by Jake Guentzel (1) & Seth Jarvis (1))

3rd Period

CAR (10:43)- Seth Jarvis (1) (assisted by Jordan Staal (1) & Brady Skjei (3))

CAR (17:45)- Sebastian Aho (1) (assisted by Andrei Svechnikov (1) & Seth Jarvis (2))

CAR (17:54)- Jordan Martinook (1) (assisted by Jack Drury (2))

CAR (19:04)- Jake Guentzel (1) EN (assisted by Sebastian Aho (1) & Andrei Svechnikov (2))

My Thoughts

I don't believe words properly explain how big this win could be for the Hurricanes. The difference between 2-0 and 1-1 going on the road for the next two games feels huge. At 3-0, I had kind of set my sights on the Canes heading to Long Island in a tied series. The offense had been dominating the game, but they couldn't find the back of the net with a map. The turning point of the game was a self-inflicted wound by Semyon Varlamov. The Islanders' goalie was called for tripping Stefan Noesen in a moment of anger, allowing the Canes' power play to find some life in a game that the Islanders had effectively taken the crowd out of. Teuvo Teravainen cut into the lead, making it 3-1, and the comeback felt like it was on its way.

The Hurricanes truly deserved this win with just how unlucky they'd been for most of the night. They hit five goalposts tonight, including a pair from Sebastian Aho and one each from Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jarvis, and Jake Guentzel. Clearly, this didn't discourage them because three of those four scored in the third period. The big guns showed up in the moments that mattered. Jarvis had three points, factoring in the team's first three goals. Aho and Guentzel had a goal and an assist each. Andrei Svechnikov had two assists, including the primary helper on the game-tying goal by Aho. The defense was smothering, holding New York to one shot in the final period and a half. The Islanders never stood a chance, especially once the crowd got back into it. 

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for the home team. The penalty kill allowed a goal on its only opportunity. The power play didn't quite look like it did in the regular season, scoring one in five tries, though it got better as the night progressed. Frederik Andersen wasn't busy for most of the night, so his overall numbers won't look great, but he made some quality stops when he was challenged early. To top it off, Brett Pesce left the game in the second period, and it's not looking great. He would be a major loss if he was out for a prolonged period.

At the end of the night, the Canes did their part to put themselves in a prime spot with a 2-0 series lead. They weren't getting the bounces early, but they certainly got them late. I won't speculate whether Varlamov was still thinking about Aho's goal when Jordan Martinook scored nine seconds later, but he looked like a deer in headlights before the winning goal was scored. The Canes wore him down with their dominance in the third period, setting up a spirited showdown in Game 3. Carolina is in control, physically and mentally. The Islanders have a tough hill to climb.

My Three Stars of the Game

3rd Star- Jordan Martinook- 1 goal

I was fully prepared for the first playoff game of the postseason. Martinook was ready for it to be over. The most important of his game-high five shots was the game-winner. He got in on the forecheck against Dobson, winning the battle before surprising Varlamov as he was caught looking in the wrong direction. While it was cool to see the big guys lead the comeback, Martinook was exactly who deserved the winner. 

2nd Star- Sebastian Aho- 1 goal, 1 assist

The big battle I felt needed to be watched was between Aho and Barzal. Whichever star impacted the series the most was most likely to lead their team to victory. Barzal had an assist early, but Aho was clearly the better player overall. Along with the tying goal late in the third, Aho added an assist on the empty-net goal to Guentzel. Had it not been for the iron, he likely would've had a few more goals in this one.

1st Star- Seth Jarvis- 1 goal, 2 assists

After a career year during the regular season, Jarvis is one of the guys who needs to step up and prove it all over again in the playoffs. Tonight, he did exactly that. He led the way with three points, including secondary assists on the first and third goals. His goal midway through the third period helped provide the spark for the comeback in the final ten minutes. Reunited with Staal and Martinook, Jarvis was able to provide it all in all three zones.

Next Game- The series will take a brief two-day hiatus before picking back up on Thursday on Long Island. I would suspect we see Tony DeAngelo in Brett Pesce's spot. I'd also bet we see Pyotr Kochetkov and Ilya Sorokin get their first action of the series. The Canes will likely do it to make sure both of their goalies are going, while the Islanders need to find a spark.