Hurricanes can’t close out Islanders, lose Game 4 of first-round series in double OT

The Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t sweep the New York Islanders for the second time in six years. Instead, they’ll have a chance to close out the series at home on Tuesday.

Mathew Barzal’s goal 84 seconds into the second overtime gave the Islanders a 3-2 win on Saturday and sent the series back to Raleigh for Game 5 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at PNC Arena.

“It’s tough to win four games in a row on someone, especially when the games are even like they are,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s not like it was 3-0 and we were dominating the games. It could have gone either way in all three, just like tonight could easily have gone the other way. We expected it to be a long series, and we have to focus on the next one.”

Stefan Noesen’s power-play goal with just under six minutes to play forced the first overtime of this postseason after the Islanders held a late 2-1 lead.

This was the third time since relocation that the Hurricanes have gone up 3-0 in a playoff series, and the second time they couldn’t finish it in Game 4.

The Canes came close, though. In the first overtime, Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a tip in front of Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov that appeared to hit the keeper’s stick and change direction at the last moment.

“I don’t know what the chances ended up, but it’s got to be pretty close to even,” Brind’Amour said. “We had a couple glorious ones in overtime, KK, I mean, it goes right off the knob of the stick. It’s a game of inches sometimes. If that goes in, we’re having a different conversation.”

One conversation the Canes are having after Game 4, though, and will continue to have during the team’s two-day break is over the disparity between the teams in the faceoff circle. The Canes this season prided themselves on being an above-average faceoff team. Saturday, the Islanders won 48 of 71 faceoffs, a 68% success rate.

“Myself, and throughout the lineup at center, we have to be better,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. “I think tonight, if we’d won even a part of those, we’d have a better chance at winning that game. It wasn’t great. We’ll look at it and try to do better.”

Seth Jarvis gave the Hurricanes an early lead with a power-play goal, but the Canes were playing from behind by the third period after goals from Barzal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau put the New York Islanders ahead as the Islanders fought for their playoff lives.

“They’re playing for their lives there,” Staal said. “We had our looks, we had our chances to score five-on-five, and if we’d scored we wouldn’t even be talking about this.”

Jarvis got to a Brent Burns rebound on the power play before Barzal held off Brady Skjei on the right wing, deked for space and beat Frederik Andersen from distance.

With the Islanders on the power play to start the third period, Andersen blocked down a Noah Dobson shot right to Pageau on the far side. Noesen answered with a power-play goal, redirecting a Teuvo Teravainen shot past Varlamov.

Andersen was strong early, stopping Pierre Engvall from point-blank range and a Dobson shot through traffic, but the Hurricanes drew the game’s first penalty when Anders Lee tripped Jalen Chatfield in the neutral zone — and Jarvis converted.

So, how can the Canes turn the tables in game 5 in Raleigh on Tuesday?

“I really don’t think we need to fix anything,” Teravainen said. “Just put a little more pressure on their D and create some turnovers from there. It’s a good battle all over the ice. Get a little more traffic maybe at the net, get some greasy ones.”

Carolina will also have to deal with a reinvigorated Islanders group.

“It’s only natural,” Brind’Amour said. “They’re back in it, they have some hope now..

A fourth for Freddie in Game 4

What tipped Brind’Amour toward starting Andersen in a fourth straight game, even with a short turnaround from Game 3 to a 2 p.m. start in Game 4?

“It was more talking to Freddie, to see where he was at,” the Hurricanes coach said Saturday morning.

Brind’Amour acknowledged on Friday that it was worth discussing whether it made sense to start Pyotr Kochetkov in the potential series-clincher on Saturday, especially after Andersen started three consecutive games for the first time all season. But in the end, the decision to stick with Andersen after he preserved a 3-2 win with 11 third-period saves, was not a difficult one.

“The day off helps make that decision,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s obviously playing well and feeling good. No reason not to throw him in there.”

Andersen stopped 65 of 71 shots in the three wins over the Islanders, posting a 2.01 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

No Martin for Isles

Matt Martin, 16th all-time in playoff appearances for the Islanders, missed Game 4 with a “lower body” injury, Islanders coach Patrick Roy said Saturday. Ruslan Iskhakov replaced him on the Islanders’ fourth line with Kyle MacLean and Cal Clutterbuck.

“If he wasn’t injured, he would play,” Roy said. “So much respect for what he has brought to this organization and the way he’s been playing. But sometimes these things happen and every team is subject to those, but this gives an opportunity for others to step up.”

Bulking up

The Hurricanes added another depth forward on Friday when they recalled Ryan Suzuki from Springfield (AHL). Suzuki joins forwards Maxime Comtois, Jackson Blake and Bradly Nadeau and defensemen Dylan Coghlan, Scott Morrow and Ronan Seeley among players the Hurricanes have signed or called up to flesh out their roster.

Coghlan, Morrow and Comtois traveled with the team to Long Island for Games 3 and 4.

Tailwinds

Sebastian Aho went into Game 4 one game-winning goal (five) behind Brind’Amour (six) for the franchise playoff lead after his goal sealed the Game 3 win. ... This was the third time since relocation the Hurricanes have taken a 3-0 lead in a series: They swept the Islanders in 2019 and lost Game 4 against the New Jersey Devils in 2006 before closing out the series in five games.