The New York Islanders came up short in their playoff opener today, falling 3-1 in Game 1 of their first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau was unavailable for New York, so Kyle MacLean moved up to play with Anders Lee and Pierre Engvall, while Simon Holmstrom suited up on the fourth line.
Once the puck was dropped though, the Islanders’ start to the playoffs couldn’t have been much worse. Anders Lee took a penalty only about a minute in (even if it was a soft call) and Carolina capitalized on the ensuing power play, with Evgeny Kuznetsov picking a corner through a moving screen.
New York then had some issues clearing the puck while under attack from Carolina’s forecheck in the minutes that followed. However, after Carolina had a turnover of their own in their end, the puck was thrown to the net by Alexander Romanov and tipped to send Frederik Andersen scrambling, with Kyle MacLean managing to bury the rebound in-close, tying the game.
The Islanders had some momentum from there, then had a power play opportunity of their own, but could barely break into the offensive zone. So while Carolina may have had more offensive zone time, the opening period was relatively even in terms of chances, ending at 1-1.
Carolina was getting the better opportunities early in the second period, and with the Islanders tired and trapped in their own end, Matt Martin took a delay of game penalty. This time though, the Islanders managed to kill it off, and that seemed to give them a bit of a spark. New York’s best chance of the period came when Bo Horvat nearly put the Islanders up when his shot got through Andersen, but was swept off goal line by Brent Burns. New York went on to outshoot Carolina 13-6 in the frame, and while the discrepancy between quality chances wasn’t nearly as drastic, it was still a strong frame for New York.
Then in the first minute of the third period, Andersen ended up on the ice following a point shot, but managed to make a massive stop on Noah Dobson, keeping the game tied. Following the save though, it was all Carolina, and after about three minutes of near continuous zone time, Evgeny Kuznetsov’s shot was knocked down in front and Stefan Noesen was there to score, putting Carolina back ahead.
The Islanders did battle and had some great chances on a power play later in the period, including one for Kyle Palmieri, which was put off the post with a semi-open net. After not converting on the man advantage though, Palmieri took a slashing penalty out of frustration (though it may have been sold a little by Jaccob Slavin). Casey Cizikas did have a great chance shorthanded and New York didn’t give much up, but the Carolina power play killed some of their remaining time to try to tie it.
New York did then pull the goalie with two minutes left, but after a lost offensive zone faceoff, the Hurricanes got the puck out and Martin Necas was able to shove Noah Dobson off it to take possession, sending it down ice into the empty net to secure a 3-1 win for Carolina.
It’s a tough loss for New York, but ultimately, a pretty decent performance. The Islanders outshot Carolina 35-26 and while the shots probably don’t represent the actual quality chances, it was at worst a 50/50 game (but you can also make the case New York played well enough to deserve a better fate).
The Lee-MacLean-Engvall line was great, causing issues with their forecheck and creating some opportunities, including the team’s only goal. Especially with Jean-Gabriel Pageau out, the Islanders needed a big game out of this line, and they were up to the ask, adding some intensity and arguably being the most impactful line.
On the flip side, the Fasching-Nelson-Palmieri line was quiet. The team is desperately going to need the second line to produce to take some of the pressure off the top line, and while Cizikas-Horvat-Barzal couldn’t convert on their chances, the second line wasn’t even getting many to begin with at even strength.
Despite the loss, Semyon Varlamov proved Patrick Roy right in going with him over Ilya Sorokin. Unfortunately, Frederik Andersen was just as good, but Varlamov gave the Islanders their chance to win.
A concern that did emerge though was the Islanders getting trapped in their own end for some lengthy stretches at different points in the game. Carolina’s forecheckers are relentless on their attack, but New York didn’t help themselves at times, not able to get the puck out when they had possession.
Also, we knew special teams were going to be a concern, with the Hurricanes capitalizing on a power play within minutes of puck drop. That said, two of the three penalties New York ended up taking were very weak calls, which certainly didn’t help their chances. Overall though, the penalty kill was maybe more effective than we would’ve expected against the Hurricanes' top-notch power play, looking better on the later kills.
With the loss, the Islanders start off in a poor spot, but there were things to like about the game. New York had their opportunities, and if a bounce goes a different way, and it’s a completely different story. All in all, it was a promising opening game, despite the loss.
The Islanders will look to rebound for Game 2 on Monday night.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM APRIL
- Islanders must bounce back for biggest game of season vs. Flyers
- Islanders stay alive after sweeping back-to-back set
- Islanders' playoff chances continue to improve with win over Blue Jackets
- Islanders shut out Predators, control their own playoff destiny
- Islanders hold on to beat Rangers for fifth straight win
- Isles closing in on playoff berth, but Dobson injury a reason for concern
- Islanders clinch playoff spot, set for Round 1 rematch vs. Hurricanes
- Previewing Round 1: Islanders vs. Hurricanes
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