RALEIGH, N.C. — The New York Islanders took their first lead over the Carolina Hurricanes just before the midway point of the third period Wednesday in Game 2 of the teams’ best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series, converting on a Brock Nelson chance.
But the Hurricanes rallied to knot the score fewer than three minutes later when Jaccob Slavin scored from below the goal line on a wrister that grazed keeper Ilya Sorokin’s back on its way into the net.
Game 2 was headed to overtime.
Islanders rally in second
Despite spending 30 percent of the second period on the power play, the Carolina Hurricanes lost their two-goal lead in Game 2 of their best-of-seven first-round NHL playoff series against the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
After scoring a quirky goal during the late stages of their final attempt with an extra skater in the early part of the second (the Isles Sebastian Aho scored into his own net), the Canes lost their momentum in the latter stages of the frame. The Islanders, staring a two-game deficit in the face, seized their chance.
Kyle Palmieri got the first Isles score at 10:48 of the second on a backhander, and with 21 seconds to play in the period, Mat Barzal ripped a wrister past Antti Raanta after taking a Brady Skjei turnover in the center zone and turning Brett Pesce around before picking the top right corner.
Staal injured, returns
Carolina captain Jordan Staal left the ice under his own power as the first period ended in Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Hurricanes and New York Islanders, but he was in a world of pain.
Staal swung and whiffed at a puck during a late-period flurry in front of Islanders Ilya Sorokin, and then got plowed into from behind by the Isles’ Matt Martin. Staal was stunned and fell forward into the ice. Martin then sat on top of the Canes’ center for 15 seconds as play continued around them. That hit, and subsequent shenanigans, resulted in a pig pile in front of Sorokin’s cage.
Martin received the lone penalty on the play, for interference.
Staal returned to the Canes’ bench for the start of the second period, and at the 2:40 mark of the second, he hopped onto the ice for his first shift of the frame.
Raanta starts, Kochetkov the backup
Having won Game 1 of the playoffs against the New York Islanders, the Carolina Hurricanes won’t be making any changes for Game 2 on Wednesday.
Antti Raanta again will be the starting goalie, Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said after Wednesday’s morning skate. Frederik Andersen was expected to back up Raanta but had an illness and was made a scratch for Game 2 as Pyotr Kochetkov served as the backup.
The forward lines will remain the same. So, too, the defensive pairings.
Forward Jesse Puljujarvi and defensemen Calvin de Haan and Dylan Coghlan will again be the extra skaters.
The Canes won 2-1 in Game 1 on Monday and are expecting another close game against the Islanders, who allowed two power-play goals while going 0-4 on their power plays.
“They had some good looks that didn’t go in, so it easily could have gone the other way,” Brind’Amour said Wednesday. “Sometimes, a bounce here or there is all it is.”
The Isles’ Ryan Pulock had the only 5-on-5 goal in the game. New York was credited with more high-danger scoring chances (12-10), according to the Natural Stat Trick hockey analytics site.
Raanta made 25 saves, the last on Bo Horvat just as the game ended, in being named the game’s first star. He now is 7-0 in home playoff games the past two years, with a 1.16 goals-against average.
Andersen was not available for last year’s playoffs after suffering a knee injury as Kochetkov served as the backup. The Canes recalled Kochetkov from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL on Monday.
Drury: “Could have been a lot worse”
Jack Drury didn’t have to wait long Monday night for an introduction to NHL playoff hockey. Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock smoked Drury just inside the Hurricanes’ defensive zone on his very first shift.
“He took it like a champ,” Seth Jarvis said Tuesday, and Drury said Wednesday morning he saw it coming.
“I had to get the puck out and he gave me a hard hit,” Drury said. “He kept it clean. It could have been a lot worse.”
That was the first of 83 hits in Game 1. Will there be even more in Game 2?
“It’s what you’d expect,” Brind’Amour said Wednesday. “Usually in the first round you see it the most. Then the second round it’s a little less and the third round it’s a little less and by the time you get to … if you can get there … it’s even less because of the wear and tear on everybody.
“But the first round, and you see it in all the other series, too, everyone’s on full go with a lot of energy.”
Severi Järvi, the Canes’ honorary sixth Finn
Jarvis noted Tuesday that it wasn’t a problem for him that there were multiple Sebastian Ahos on the ice in this series, both of whom share the nickname “Seabass,” because the Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho is also known as “Fishy” and because Jarvis likes to consider himself multilingual.
“No, Fishy, he knows my voice, I like to think,” Jarvis said. “I work on my Finnish, too, The other Aho is Swedish so he doesn’t understand like we do.”
This comment provoked a question from a fan in Finland, to ask if Jarvis knew that some fans over there have adopted him as an honorary Finn, Severi Järvi — “That would be pretty close,” the Hurricanes’ Aho said — which would give the Hurricanes a total of six.
Jarvis was unaware, although honored, and it turns out it’s not the first time he’s been taken for Finnish. It happened as recently as Tuesday night, during an off-night dinner at Brent Burns’ house.
“His wife thought I was from Finland,” Jarvis said. “I guess she didn’t know I was from Winnipeg. It’s the greatest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
Given how closely Jarvis has been associated with Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and the Hurricanes’ other Finns on the ice, it’s not a shocking assumption to make.
As for Jarvis’ command of the notoriously difficult Finnish language, the Hurricanes’ Aho said it’s not as far fetched as it sounds.
“His accent is pretty good,” Aho said. “He can roll his Rs pretty good.”
