Islanders fall 5-3 to Hurricanes as power play struggles again
New York went scoreless on four power play attempts in a Thursday night loss that left them winless in their last six regulation games.
By Justin Barnes ·
The New York Islanders lost 5-3 to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night at UBS Arena, extending a six-game winless streak in regulation. The defeat capped a night where the Islanders controlled possession but failed to capitalize on special teams opportunities.
William Carrier scored on a rebound with 5:08 remaining in the third period to put the Hurricanes ahead 5-3. Jalen Chatfield added an empty-net goal with 50.3 seconds left to close the game.
The Islanders started the season with momentum in the middle period, outscoring opponents 19-14 in the second stanza this year. They erased deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 against Carolina on Thursday. Victor Eklund scored a one-timer, Brayden Schenn added a wrap-around goal, and Alex Chaffee tallied a deflection goal from a Matthew Schaefer shot.
Chaffee played his best game in a New York uniform, recording a goal and an assist. He has started to mesh with linemates Casey Cizikas and Kyle MacLean over the last seven games. Chaffee said the line has been communicating to find better positioning. "We’ve been talking a lot as a line and trying to figure out where we want each other," Chaffee said.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov allowed two goals in the first four minutes but stopped 34 shots for the remainder of the game. The team won 40 faceoffs to Carolina's 21 and recorded 26 hits. Captain Bo Horvat noted that a few lapses cost the team the win. "It was just a couple of lapses on our part that cost us," Horvat said.
The power play remains a weak point, ranking 29th in the league with a 15.9 percent conversion rate. The Islanders went 0-for-4 on the night against Carolina goaltender Brandon Bussi. Brayden Schenn said the unit needs quicker puck movement. "There’s a bunch of stuff out there that we need to clean up," Schenn said.
The loss kept the Islanders behind the New York Rangers in the standings. The Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Thursday, maintaining their pace at the top of the division.
