ELMONT, N.Y. — Chance after chance after chance came and went and still the Islanders were desperately trying to keep their season from reaching the brink.
Finally, the goals came. Better late than never.
And so the first-ever playoff game at UBS Arena turned into a rocking party for the final 3:51 as the Islanders beat the Hurricanes, 5-1, in Game 3 on Friday night to come within two games to one in this first-round series.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at UBS Arena.
First, Kyle Palmieri deflected defenseman Sebastian Aho’s shot from the right point for a rare power-play goal to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 16:09 of the third period.
The Islanders had gone 0 for 4 on the power play and generated just four shots while allowing a short-handed goal to that point.
Just 44 seconds later, Matt Martin connected from the left for a much-needed two-goal margin. Then, defenseman Scott Mayfield added an empty-netter from 175 feet as he fell to the ice. Anders Lee capped it at 18:27.
“You just have to keep an even keel no matter what happens in each individual game,” coach Lane Lambert said. “But certain games can change the complexion of a series, there’s no question.”
This one can.
Ilya Sorokin made 31 saves for the Islanders while the Hurricanes’ Antti Raanta stopped 33 shots.
Nassau Coliseum set a high bar as a home rink in the playoffs with its decibel level. But at times, UBS Arena shook.
Home teams get the last personnel change during stoppages so Lambert was able to better dictate the matchups in Game 3. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was consistently able to effectively match Jordan Staal’s checking line against Bo Horvat’s top trio during the first two games.
“[The Hurricanes] are not an easy team to play against,” Mathew Barzal said. “They’re doing a good job of making it hard on us. We’ve had a couple of plays. Could have had a couple more. It’s a good line, ask anybody in the league, they’re a tough line to play against.”
The Islanders, however, have been able to hold their on skating five-on-five. It’s special teams that have been a problem.
The Islanders essentially killed off three penalties in the second period — Palmieri was called for hooking Jesper Fast at 19:26 of the first period — and used that momentum to take a 1-0 lead at 12:49, the first time they’ve scored the opening goal this series.
Defenseman Ryan Pulock threaded a backhanded pass to Casey Cizikas and he chipped it past Raanta from low in the right circle. It was fitting considering Cizikas had logged 3:20 on the penalty kill to that point.
The Islanders then thought they had taken a two-goal lead — the goal lamp came on — as Hudson Fasching hit the right post.
But the Islanders’ struggling power play continued to hurt them as they allowed Fast’s shorthanded goal at 16:56 of the second period on their second opportunity.
The Islanders did not generate any shots after Jesperi Kotkaniemi was called for holding Horvat at 15:17 of the second period. Then Staal stripped Barzal of the puck to start a two-on-one rush. Sorokin seemed to make the initial save on Fast before the puck trickled in.
There were more cheers, no doubt sarcastic ones, when the Islanders received the game’s first power play at 7:50 of the first period with defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere holding Cizikas.
The Islanders did not receive a power play in their 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2 on Wednesday night in Carolina and Fast’s winner was scored seconds after an apparent high stick on Scott Mayfield by Jordan Martinook was not called.
The Islanders, tweaking their power play to a 2-1-2 alignment from the more standing 1-3-1, got two shots as Zach Parise tried to stuff in a backhander. But the Islanders’ best chance in the first period came as Raanta allowed a long rebound off Barzal’s shot from the right. Lee had a good look at a lot of net from the left but shot it considerably wide to the far post at 19:00.
Sorokin made 15 saves in the first period.
Raanta made his best save at 6:13 of the third period after Pierre Engvall found Brock Nelson skating into the Hurricanes’ zone.
