In Raleigh, Jordan Martinook scored early in the third period to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 2-1 lad over the New York Islanders on Sunday. 
Frederik Andersen, who made 21 saves, ensured that would stand up for the final score.
“You try to stay with it and try to make the next save and trust the guys are going to keep playing the way they did,” said Andersen. “Obviously, I got rewarded finally. We played a little more to our identity, and I think that showed how we’ve got to play.”
Carolina improved to 49-18-9 off their second straight win.
“We have a job to do. We want to finish as high as we can,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “But [New York] is playing for their lives. I thought we looked like the team that was maybe a little more desperate. I think that says a lot about the group for me.”
The Islanders grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period on a strike by Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
“We did some good things, we had a good effort,” Pageau said. “I thought we were with them the whole way. I think we’ve just got to stick with it, finish the season strong.”
The Islanders dropped to 39-30-9 off their second straight loss.
“Chances were few and far between, but we were one shot away,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “I thought some of the scoring chances they had we clearly made mistakes on. We could’ve done a little better job in that area.”
Jesperi Kotkaniemi potted the game-tying goal midway through the second stanza.
“For our line, we finally got one, which was great,” Kotkaniemi said. “[Puljujarvi] got his first point. He’s been playing really good lately, creating a lot. Big win tonight.”
Jesse Puljujarvi picked up his first point since joining the Canes on the trade deadline,
“We’ve just got to regroup,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “There’s still four games left, and we need to find a way to win. That’s what we’re looking to do. We have some days to rest and regroup and get ready to go.”
Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves in the New York loss.he had an assist on the Kotkaniemi goal.
You must be logged in to post a comment.