Hurricanes roll from one New York team to another in Stanley Cup Playoffs

By AIDAN JENSEN

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If the Carolina Hurricanes are playing in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, you can pretty much bet they’ll win their matchup.

If the Canes are playing the New York Islanders in the postseason, you can also pretty much bet Carolina will be coming out on top.

The Canes downed the Isles yet again in the first round this year, winning four games to one and not struggling much in any game.

Carolina opened its playoff jaunt with a 3-1 victory over the Isles in Game 1, with star goalie Freddie Andersen saving 33 shots and trade deadline acquisition Evgeny Kuznetsov scoring the Canes’ first playoff goal. Game 2 had all the offensive fireworks – Carolina coming back from a 3-0 deficit, eventually taking the lead by scoring its second goal in nine seconds, then an empty-net goal from Jake Guenztel to cap off a 5-3 win.

The Isles played much better at home in Game 3, but the Canes still prevailed with a 3-2 victory. Carolina defensemen Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov scored for a 2-0 advantage in the first period, All-Star Sebastian Aho scored in the second, then both teams went scoreless in the third.

The Isles got one back in Game 4, winning 3-2 in overtime, but the Canes closed out the series with a 6-3 victory in Game 5. New York tied the game heading into the third period, but Jack Drury, Stefan Noeson and Seth Jarvis scored to distance Carolina.

Next up

The Canes are heading from one New York team to another, now facing the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with Game 1 set for Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

Carolina only won once in three regular-season tries, a 6-1 domination in the Big Apple, when Andrei Svechnikov scored twice.

The Canes beat the Rangers in the Qualifying Round of the COVID-altered 2020 playoffs, then lost to the Rangers in the 2022 Eastern Conference Semis.