In Elmont, the New York Islanders needed a big game from across the bench on Thursday night. Instead, they got an average game and lost Game to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 3-2 count. 
The loss leaves the Islanders with no room for error, in a season replete with miscues.
Frederik Andersen made 29 saves in the Canes win.
“He was unbelievable,” Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov said. “With five minutes left, he made that save. I just don’t know where he got the arm [from]. It was unbelievable. I don’t know what to say. It was just so important. He’s been the best player for us out there, and we believe in him.”
Carolina grabbed a 1-0 lead at 4:46 of the opening stanza on a strike by Brent Burns. He scored on a shot off the boards through traffic.
Midway through the first, the Canes’ Dmitry Orlov pushed the advantage to 2-0, with a scoring off a shot fro from the left circle.
“I jump in on the rush,” Orlov said. “Svechnikov makes a nice play, and I try to find the lane to shoot and their own defenseman for them screen the goalie, and it just hit the net.”
In the middle frame, the Islanders closed the gap to 2-1 on a marker from Pierre Engvall at 2:48. He scored five-hole from the above the crease.
“It definitely wasn’t as good as last game. We were down 3-0 at one point (in Game 2), and then tonight we’re up 3-0, I don’t know what it was, 2-0 or whatever,” Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook said. “But, it just looked different. Obviously, they’re desperate. They’re fighting as hard as they can and for us to be able to just hang in there and hold the (2-0) lead there is big for us to be able to get the win and go up 3-0.”
Game 4 is set for Saturday on the Island.
Carolina extended the lead to 3-1 at 7:14 of the third on a goal by Sebastian Aho, scoring off a rush up ice.
“The first two periods were OK and then we knew what was coming,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They’re going to give it everything they had. And that’s exactly what happened. But ‘Freddie’ came up with a couple of huge saves and that’s the difference in the game.”
Nelson pulled New York within 3-2 at 17:39 when he put in a rebound at the side of the net.
Ilya Sorokin got the start for the Islanders, and was given the hook after yielding three goals on just 14 shots. He left the ice at 7:14 of the middle frame.
“We win and we lose as a team, so I’m not going to go there,” Roy said about pulling Sorokin. “But what I’m going to say is sometimes we make changes as a coach because we feel we just wanted to change the momentum of the game.”
Semyon Varlamov made eight saves in a mop up role.
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