RALEIGH, N.C. — Sebastian Aho arrange Justin Williams’ go-ahead purpose with 9:45 remaining, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Wednesday evening to take a Three-Zero lead of their second-round collection.
Teuvo Teravainen had two objectives, together with an empty-netter with 57.1 seconds remaining, Justin Faulk additionally scored and Aho added one other empty-net purpose with four.eight seconds to play.
Justin Faulk celebrates with Warren Foegele and Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes after scoring in opposition to the New York Islanders. (Photograph by Grant Halverson/Getty Pictures)
The wild-card Hurricanes — within the playoffs for the primary time in a decade — moved inside a victory of a berth within the Jap Convention last and took a Three-Zero collection lead for simply the second time since they moved to North Carolina in 1997. After shedding the primary two video games of its first-round collection with Washington, Carolina has received seven of eight.
Josh Bailey had a purpose and an help and Devon Toews scored on the ability play to spark a dormant Islanders offence. New York had scored one purpose within the earlier two video games of this collection and its common of two half objectives in its earlier six post-season video games was the bottom among the many eight groups which are nonetheless enjoying.
Nevertheless it wasn’t sufficient to maintain them from a precarious spot. After sweeping Pittsburgh within the first spherical, the Islanders are at risk of being swept. Solely 4 groups in NHL historical past have received a collection after shedding the primary three video games.
Curtis McElhinney — who at 35 years and 343 days outdated turned the oldest goalie in NHL historical past to make his first playoff begin — stopped 28 photographs rather than Petr Mrazek, who’s each day with a decrease physique damage. After McElhinney made two bang-bang saves within the second interval whereas doing a cut up, the gang chanted his first title.
Robin Lehner stopped 34 photographs for the Islanders, however his profession file in opposition to the Hurricanes fell to Zero-7.
It took a formidable particular person effort for Aho to place the Hurricanes forward to remain.
After Nino Niederreiter dumped the puck in, Lehner performed it behind the online — solely to have Aho snatch it within the nook and move to Williams, who chipped it previous the Islanders goalie.
Justin Williams of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrates after scoring the go-ahead purpose in opposition to the New York Islanders. (Photograph by Grant Halverson/Getty Pictures)
New York couldn’t get Lehner off the ice for an additional attacker till about 90 seconds remained, and if Teravainen didn’t ice it along with his empty-netter within the last minute, Aho actually did along with his.
The Hurricanes have six gamers coping with publicly identified accidents, however — other than the damage to Mrazek — they appear to be getting a bit more healthy.
Rookie winger Andrei Svechnikov, who had been within the concussion protocol after taking a punch from Alex Ovechkin in Sport Three of the collection with Washington, returned to the lineup. And ahead Jordan Martinook, who missed the primary two video games of this collection and suffered a decrease physique damage in Sport four in opposition to the Capitals, additionally was again.
Essentially the most spectacular purpose of the evening belonged to Faulk. As he stormed out of the penalty field after his hooking minor expired, Warren Foegele flipped the puck towards him on the blue line. Faulk plucked it out of the air — like an outfielder monitoring a fly ball — after which beat Lehner with a rising backhand with eight:02 left within the second.
The lead didn’t final lengthy. Bailey tied it at 2 with 5:47 left when his shot from between the circles received previous McElhinney’s glove — after which teammate Brock Nelson gave the Carolina goalie’s helmet a faucet after the play.
It was the second time a Hurricanes lead turned out to be short-lived. Teravainen put them up 1-Zero with 13:19 left within the first. Unchecked on the proper publish, he stopped the rebound of Jaccob Slavin’s shot along with his left skate, then whacked it in for his fourth purpose of the playoffs and third in 5 video games.
Toews — who drew a excessive stick that despatched Warren Foegele to the penalty field — tied it 99 seconds later with a straightaway blast from simply contained in the blue line by visitors.
NOTES: The final workforce to win a collection after trailing it Three-Zero was Los Angeles in opposition to San Jose within the first spherical in 2014. … Slavin, who assisted on first Teravainen’s purpose, has a league-best 11 assists in the course of the playoffs. … Svechnikov rang the publish with a wrist shot late within the first, and Williams did it early within the second. … New York RW Cal Clutterbuck returned after he was helped off the ice throughout Sport 2.
UP NEXT
The collection resumes right here Friday evening for Sport four.
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Extra AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Joedy McCreary, The Related Press
