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The Carolina Hurricanes picked up a win over the New York Islanders yesterday, marking their fourth straight victory.
The Hurricanes went up early, with goals from Derek Stepan and Seth Jarvis giving Carolina a 2-0 lead under 10 minutes into the game. The Islanders did claw their way back though, with a late first period goal from Ross Johnston, followed by Ryan Pulock scoring the only goal of the second period to tie it up. However, Carolina came out with a really strong final frame, as Max Domi gave the Hurricanes their lead back and the Islanders were limited to just five shots. Two late empty net goals from Jesper Fast and Brendan Smith then secured a 5-2 Hurricanes win.
It was another key victory for the Hurricanes, as they inch closer to locking up top spot in the Metropolitan Division. As of now, they’re four points up on the New York Rangers, having played one more game. That said, it’s really going to come down to the matchup between the two teams in New York tomorrow night.
Seth Jarvis also stayed hot in the win, now riding a three-game goal streak and having scored 10 points over his last 10 games.
The big negative in the loss though was that Antti Raanta left the game with an injury, forcing Pyotr Kochetkov back into action. It also comes just before Raanta was named as the team’s Bill Masterton Trophy nominee.
With Frederik Andersen already out of action, it leaves huge question marks for the team’s situation in goal. Carolina could enter the playoffs with neither of their two regular goalies available and given how important goaltending has been for them this year, it’s not a good spot to be in.
Kochetkov is the best option to bet on and has posted great numbers in the AHL, but he's still just 22 years old and more importantly, has a game and a half of NHL experience to this point. Obviously, it would be a massive blow if both Andersen and Raanta are unavailable for the start of the playoffs.
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Quizwiz
OTHER ARTICLES FROM APRIL
Hurricanes fall to Wild following shutout win over Canadiens
Hurricanes' struggles putting Metropolitan Division lead in jeopardy
Hurricanes earn key win over Rangers to extend Metropolitan Division lead
Hurricanes fall to Red Wings and Avs, now tied with Rangers for Metro lead
Hurricanes pull ahead of Rangers for Metro lead with three straight wins 
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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