While their hopes of this being a potential postseason-clinching game were dashed before puck drop, the Carolina Hurricanes hit the ice to start a win streak against the New York Islanders. The Canes earned a decisive 4-1 victory over the Canadiens on Friday night, led by Jackson Blake's first three-point game. New York entered the contest hungry for points to stay in the playoff fight.
Pyotr Kochetkov was in the net for the Hurricanes, trying to get back on the right track after back-to-back subpar performances. Jordan Staal missed the game with a lower-body injury. Tyson Jost returned to the lineup. The Islanders countered with Marcus Hogberg after Ilya Sorokin started Saturday afternoon in New York's 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Hurricanes got off to a lightning-quick start, scoring 13 seconds apart in the first five minutes. Mark Jankowski started by scoring his seventh goal with the Canes after a gorgeous pass from the boards by Eric Robinson to find his streaking center. On the next shift, Jordan Martinook made another all-world pass from below the goal line, finding Logan Stankoven for a tap-in.
The good times didn't last very long. Just 76 seconds after Stankoven's goal, Pierre Engvall finished a 2-on-1 that Kochetkov got a lot of, cutting into the Canes' lead. It was a stoppable goal that changed the entire outlook of the period. The Islanders would tie it on the power play. Kyle Palmieri was on the spot to glove down a rebound and chip it home to make it 2-2, where the period stood after 20.
Engvall kept his excellent game rolling by putting the Islanders ahead early in the second. After forcing a turnover, Engvall carried the puck up the ice on another 2-on-1 before stopping and firing a shot past Kochetkov. The Canes' netminder had a clear look at the chance but was beaten as he was caught guessing.
Down a goal, the Canes' special teams took control of the period. First, the power play scored for the fourth straight game. It took everyone to get it done, starting with Seth Jarvis keeping the puck in the zone after the Islanders tried to rim and clear. Hall and Gostisbehere got the assists as Sebastian Aho knuckled a shot over Hogberg's shoulder to tie the game at three.
Late in the period, Jalen Chatfield was issued a four-minute penalty for high-sticking, but the penalty kill had his back. Jaccob Slavin made an elite play to knock down a pass before Aho sent Jarvis the other way with Tony DeAngelo chasing. Jarvis unleashed a wicked shot past Hogberg's blocker to put the Canes back in front. The Canes made it to the break ahead with time left to kill.
The Islanders knotted things up again early in the third period after Bo Horvat made an excellent pass to Anders Lee for the backdoor tap-in. The tie wouldn't make it to the halfway point of the frame. After winning a face-off, Andrei Svechnikov pushed the puck to Dmitry Orlov at the blue line. Orlov stepped into the shot, getting it under the blocker to put the Canes back ahead.
The dagger came from the top line once again. Jarvis made an athletic play to jump and glove down a puck before it could be cleared. He played catch with Aho before making a move to the front and finishing his second of the game at the side of the net. The penalty kill would bring it home, killing a late penalty to secure the 6-4 victory in a wild contest at the Lenovo Center.
It wasn't exactly a goaltending clinic from either netminder on Sunday, but Pyotr Kochetkov did enough to get his team over the line. This is three straight starts that Kochetkov hasn't looked like himself. He definitely looked better after Engvall's second goal, making a few big stops down the stretch to preserve the lead. It's two points, but I'm concerned about Kochetkov's game.
It was quite the weekend for Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Aho finished with three points in the game, scoring the big power-play goal and assisting on both of Jarvis' goals. Jarvis scored his fifth short-handed goal, tying Kevyn Adams for the most in a season in franchise history. He and Aho recorded their seventh short-handed points, tying Tampa's Brandon Hagel for the most this season.
The penalty kill allowed a goal in the first period, but they were otherwise game-changing on Sunday. The kill during the double-minor might've been the biggest turning point in the contest. It featured Jarvis' short-handed tally, but what's more important is that the group didn't allow a response immediately after. It's the type of effort you'd expect against one of the league's worst power plays.
Up Next: After two days off, the Carolina Hurricanes will welcome the Washington Capitals in a battle between the division's best on Wednesday. This may or may not be a postseason-clinching game for the Canes, depending on the results of Monday and Tuesday's action. The team will begin a four-game road trip with a weekend back-to-back in Detroit and Boston on Friday against the Red Wings.