After an incredible weekend sweep in Ontario, the Carolina Hurricanes brought it back to the United States to finish their trip against the New York Islanders. The road team had won all three games in the season series entering the night, giving the Canes some hope to keep their winning streak alive. These two points would be huge for the Islanders as they fight for their lives in the Eastern Conference Wild Card picture.
As the alternating rotation continued, Pyotr Kochetkov was back in between the pipes in this one. He was part of the big comeback win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Teuvo Teravainen missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury. New York looked to All-Star goalie Ilya Sorokin to help turn things around as the Islanders entered the night with just one point in their last four games.
For a team desperate for points, the Islanders put together a solid start. They had a few early chances against Pyotr Kochetkov, eventually drawing the first power play of the game before the halfway point in the period. After the Hurricanes killed it off, they finally were able to get to their game, denying anything from getting through the neutral zone.
This was about the time when the top line began its takeover. It started with Seth Jarvis squeaking a rebound through Ilya Sorokin's pads with 7:12 left in the period. Brady Skjei's shot from the point hit a body out front, landing perfectly on Jarvis' stick for the opening goal. Jarvis would be right back at it two minutes later. He played catch with Jake Guentzel before finishing his second of the period, stunning the Islanders fans. The Hurricanes would get a power play in the final two minutes of the period, and they'd add one more. Evgeny Kuznetsov got Martin Necas into the zone, allowing Necas to penetrate the killers before picking a corner with 1.3 seconds left to make it 3-0 before the break.
Martin Necas came dangerously close to adding another one for the Hurricanes in the second period, hitting the outside of the post on a chance. The Canes pressed Ilya Sorokin early in the second, but the heat would be on Pyotr Kochetkov in the final minutes as the Islanders looked for any sign of life. They evened up the shot count with their late push, putting 11 shots on Kochetkov in the period, but none of them found the back of the net as the Canes' 3-0 lead remained intact.
The only blemish on the Hurricanes' ledger on Long Island came early in the third period. It was one of the few moments when Pyotr Kochetkov's rebound prevention failed him. An easy shot from Brock Nelson was turned away, but Kyle Palmieri was able to pick up the rebound and break the shutout to give the Islanders some life.
While the fans were momentarily back into the game, the Canes quickly took them back out of it with their suffocating defense. The only good chance of the final five minutes was a Mathew Barzal backhander that Pyotr Kochetkov knocked away. Jake Guentzel iced the game by finding the empty net, making it 4-1. A late-minute dust-up between Matt Martin and Brendan Lemieux ended with Lemieux scoring a takedown, giving the Canes one more victory to finish the trip as they handed the Islanders a tough loss to hurt their playoff chances.
I don't feel like I'd be off base if I said this was the Hurricanes' best game of the trip. It was certainly the least stressful. While the wins in Toronto and Ottawa were special in their own right, this was a game against an opponent in a desperate spot. Instead of allowing New York to dictate the pace in their barn in their pursuit of the playoffs, the Canes squashed that early. They didn't let off the gas, finishing the trip 3-0-0 with their sixth straight road victory.
The top line for the Canes dominated the Islanders all night. Seth Jarvis' two early tallies got it started. Jake Guentzel assisted on both of Jarvis' goals, including the sick feed on the second goal. Sebastian Aho found the scoresheet late, assisting on Guentzel's empty-netter after Jarvis stopped the Islanders from entering the zone. They kept the Islanders' top guys relatively quiet. Mathew Barzal only had one good chance, and Noah Dobson was on the ice for all four of Carolina's goals.
To round out the group, Pyotr Kochetkov had another excellent night. He wasn't perfect, mishandling the puck early and allowing the one goal after failing to prevent a rebound, but he was good when it mattered the most, stopping 30 shots. He helped keep New York silent in the first few minutes and quelled the Islanders' push in the second period to keep it 3-0. He picked up his 19th win of the season, and I think it's time to start talking about Kochetkov as a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He's been easily the best rookie goalie in the league, and while Chicago's Connor Bedard is the rightful frontrunner for the award, the Canes' goalie has been arguably one of the team's most important players this season.
The Hurricanes will return home to begin a back-to-back on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. Playing for the fourth time this season, this could be a potential first-round preview between the teams in second and third in the Metropolitan Division. The time at home will be short-lived as they head back out on the road for Friday's tilt in D.C. against the Capitals in Evgeny Kuznetsov's return to Washington.