The Carolina Hurricanes stole game one 1-0 in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Islanders as forward Jordan Staal netted the overtime winner.
The Islanders have established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league thanks to the tandem of new head coach Barry Trotz and Vezina candidate netminder Robin Lehner. Though the Hurricanes managed to put up strong offensive pressure, the only thing that kept them in the game was the elevated play of their netminder, Petr Mrazek, who posted his second shutout of the playoffs.
Staal proved to be the other hero of the game, barely beating out Lehner with the shot off the rebound. Carolina forward Nino Niederreiter, who had been pressing hard the entire overtime, sent a shot off the end boards which found its way to Staal’s stick who wasted no time ripping it past Lehner.
Out the gate, the Hurricanes didn’t look like a team that had played only two days prior, while the Islanders looked like a team that hadn’t played in over nine days as the ice was heavily tilted in Carolina’s favor in the opening minutes.
However, the rust seemed to finally shake from the Isles near the halfway point of the first period after their first power play of the game. Their physical play and quick transitional passes led to quite a few odd-man breaks, but Mrazek came up huge for his team.
The biggest save of the first came when Islanders forward Josh Bailey found himself in all alone from the blueline, but his backhand attempt was robbed by the quick glove hand of Mrazek. Both netminders set the tone early as each stayed solid through the first 20 minutes of play.
Halfway through the second period, Lehner stoned Carolina forward Greg McKegg who had found himself in all alone thanks to a turnover by the Islanders blueliners courtesy of the linesman’s skate.
Chances fluctuated back and forth through the remainder of the second period as the game seemed to reach a balance with Carolina managing to find its game again alongside the Islanders. Both teams would get chances on the power play, but each of the penalty kill units did their part although the Hurricanes’ kill got a few good shorthanded looks.
The third period provided as many goals as the first two periods. The Canes had multiple power plays including a double minor, but they struggled to get any shots through the Islanders excellent shot-lane blocking.
In their ninth period of hockey in only 48 hours, the Hurricanes resilience shined with Staal netting the overtime winner. The youth and conditioning of the team had been put to the test and, at least in the first game, it proved to come through.
An apparent issue in game one and potentially for the rest of the series was the ice condition in the Barclays Center. It has been a common complaint by both the home and away teams in the arena for years. A large percentage of passes and shots ended up incomplete, sent well off course by bounces, and it seemed that both teams struggled with the poor conditions.
Despite this, both teams have to deal with the same ice and the bigger issue the Hurricanes will have to face is managing to get shots through the Islanders defenders. The shot blocking of the Isles paired with Lehner’s play is a deadly combo that the Canes managed to get the upper hand in game one. Carolina will need its defensive play to match that of New York’s if they hope to take this series.
The Hurricanes will be tested again in game two in New York at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.
