Islanders 4, Hurricanes 3, SO

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Jay Harrison

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Tracking the Storm: Analysis

• This morning, we said there were no easy games, and tonight proved that axiom. The Carolina Hurricanes had a 3-2 lead late in the third period over the New York Islanders, only to see that fade with Kyle Okposo’s tally at the 18:30 mark. The Canes ended up losing in the shootout. They get a point, but at this point, that’s not enough. “They all hurt. They all sting. But, you do what you can with it,” Jay Harrison said. “We should be pretty frustrated and upset with ourselves, and that should drive our next two work days to bring a better, more complete effort.”

• A complete effort is what the Canes have seemed to be lacking on the road; at home as of late, they’ve been much improved. Tonight looked like a road performance where the team wasn’t confident enough to put the game away in the third period. It’s been a problem that has plagued the Canes all season, and it’s clearly not going to be easy to shake. “We let teams hang around,” head coach Kirk Muller said. “We had chances [to bury them], and we’ve got to capitalize.”

• This was the third shootout the Canes have been involved in this season and the first under Muller. They’ve still yet to win one, their last coming on March 29 against Washington. Muller’s shootout lineup included Jussi Jokinen (who scored the lone goal), Eric Staal and Chad LaRose. Staal is just 2-for-15 lifetime in the shootout, but Muller said he’d put him out there again if he had to. “He’s our best forward,” Muller said. “He’s been hot lately, and he’s our guy.”

• Andreas Nodl saw enhanced minutes tonight on Staal’s wing, as Jiri Tlusty shifted down to the fourth line. Nodl said he didn’t change his game much moving lines. “Staalsy is one of best in the league protecting the puck and taking it to the net, so you just try to create a lot of space for him,” Nodl said. “My game didn’t change. I’m not the fancy kind of guy. I make the simple play, go the net and shoot the puck.”

• LaRose’s third period goal came after a good forechecking shift from Brandon Sutter’s line. They forced a couple of turnovers, and LaRose ended up walking off the boards with the puck and squeaking it by Evgeni Nabokov. It was a good illustration of what Muller has been preaching with his aggressive, hound-the-puck approach.

• The Islanders were 0-15-2 when trailing after two periods coming into tonight’s game. They had also won just six of the team’s last 23 meetings. Tonight, though, they took advantage of the opportunities they had. They converted on both of their power plays and pinned the Canes deep a number of times with an aggressive forecheck. Even still, this is a game that the Hurricanes should have won 3-2. Like Harrison said, they’ll need to put that frustration into a good two days’ work before taking on the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

Recap (Associated Press)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Frans Nielsen scored the deciding goal in a shootout, and the New York Islanders earned their third straight win by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Tuesday night in a matchup of the Eastern Conference's bottom two teams.

Kyle Okposo scored with 1:30 remaining to send the game into overtime, and John Tavares had three assists for the Islanders (14-17-6), who matched their best winning streak of the season. Evgeni Nabokov made 37 saves.

Chad LaRose, Brandon Sutter and Anthony Stewart scored for Carolina (13-21-7), and Cam Ward made 33 saves.

After Islanders forward P.A. Parenteau and Carolina's Jussi Jokinen traded goals to start the shootout, Nielsen skated in and shifted to his backhand to beat Ward.

LaRose gave Carolina a 3-2 lead with 4:14 left in regulation. LaRose skated out from the corner with the puck and met little resistance as he got closer to the net. He slid the puck along the ice and past Nabokov's left pad.

The Islanders tied it with 90 seconds remaining when Tavares made a perfect pass to Okposo, who was standing alone beside the Hurricanes net.

Despite their records, both teams have had reasons for optimism recently.

The Hurricanes had won three straight at home, their best streak there since last March.

The Islanders were 6-6-2 in December before beating Carolina in their first game of the new year.

New York took a 1-0 lead less than 4 minutes in when Matt Moulson finished a nice passing play from Tavares and Nielsen. With the Islanders on the power play, Tavares centered the puck from behind the net to Moulson, who snapped the puck past Ward's blocker.

Carolina answered 31 seconds later when Stewart tipped Jay Harrison's shot past Nabokov.

The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead when Nabokov held onto the puck too long behind the Islanders net. Drayson Bowman stole the puck from the unsuspecting Nabokov and shoveled it out to Sutter, who was standing in the crease for a shot into a wide-open net.

The Islanders tied it early in the third period on the power play when Mark Streit took a shot from the point. That shot sailed wide of the net, but the rebound bounced off the boards to Nielsen, who had little trouble smacking the puck into the net with Ward out of position.

Carolina was 10-1-2 this season when leading after two periods, and the Islanders won for the first time when trailing after 40 minutes (1-15-2).

NOTES: Carolina swept the season series between the teams last season, outscoring the Islanders 18-8. . The Hurricanes announced that D Joni Pitkanen will miss four weeks following surgery on his left knee.