Having a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup playoffs does not guarantee anything, and the Carolina Hurricanes learned the hard way against the New York Islanders. Heading into Saturday’s game, the Canes held all the momentum, but the Islanders saved themselves from elimination on home ice with a 3-2 win.
The win didn’t come easy though. Both teams battled back and forth throughout 60 minutes of regulation play, but it wasn’t enough to decide a winner. The first 20 minutes of overtime did not see a horn buzz, but the second overtime was the final straw for the Hurricanes who couldn’t keep up with Mathew Barzal, the New York golden boy, in center.
Barzal was the overtime hero for the Islanders, but he also scored a tying goal in the second frame to keep New York in line with Carolina. The Canes got off to a quick defensive start in the first period, having to face seven missed shots from the Islanders within the first six minutes of the game. Both teams struggled on the offensive end of the zone, but it was Carolina who got on the scorecard first.
Young-gun center Seth Jarvis finished the regular season with a career-high 33 goals and he picked up where he left off for the playoffs. With a three-point night in game 2, Jarvis put another point to his name in game 4 with a wrist shot eight minutes into the first frame to bring the Canes up 1-0.
New York was nothing short of feral on defense in the first frame, dishing out hits left and right. The Islanders laid out 17 hits through the first period and it would only continue throughout the rest of the game. While the defense was there for New York in the first frame, the offense helped out in the second.
Halfway through the second frame, Barzal used magic puck handling to get past defenseman Brady Skjei and let the rubber fly past netminder Frederik Anderson. Now tied up 1-1, the Canes looked to get the upper hand in the third period, but once again the Islanders got on the board.
Less than two minutes into the final regulation period, New York took a 2-1 lead off of a goal from center Jean-Gabriel Pageau. With a powerplay on their side, the Islanders kept the puck in the Carolina zone and left a wide-open Pageau ready for the shot. Despite having 18 minutes left in the frame it seemed like all hope was lost for the Hurricanes, and the Islanders held every drop of momentum.
Carolina didn’t go down without a fight and sent the game into overtime in the final minutes. With five minutes left, right wing Stefan Noesen tallied his second goal of the series and brought the game to extra periods. The Canes dominated in the first overtime frame, tallying 17 shots on goal compared to the Islanders’ nine. Despite this, the Hurricanes couldn’t get the job done and the matchup went into double overtime.
It only took New York one and a half minutes to call the game; Barzal once again knocked a shot past Anderson and pushed the Islanders into a fifth game to prevent a series sweep.
Both teams will travel back to Raleigh to continue the series. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. in PNC Arena.
