3 Takeaways: Islanders Drop Fourth Straight with 5-2 Loss to Hurricanes

The New York Islanders fell short against the Metropolitan Division leading Carolina Hurricanes, losing 5-2 at UBS Arena on Saturday night.
Simon Holmstrom and Brock Nelson had the Islanders in a 2-2 tie after Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast put Carolina ahead in the first period, but that was all the offense the Islanders could muster. Tied 2-2, Sebastian Aho tipped the scales with his sixth-career hat trick and his first-career natural hat trick.

The Islanders winless streak is now at four games, going 0-2-2 over that span. The Isles are now 1-5-3 in their last nine games and 2-6-3 in their last 11.
"We have to move forward and climb out of this hole," Anders Lee said following the loss. "It's been a tough stretch here. We have to just find a way to find some life, find some energy... continue to build our game and find a way."
"There isn't one guy who isn't putting in effort or energy," Head Coach Lane Lambert said of his team. "That's all there. We just have to find a way to execute."

ISLANDERS FALL BEHIND EARLY, BUT REGROUP IN PACKED FIRST PERIOD:

The Islanders found themselves down 2-0 early in the first period, but battled back to erase the two-goal deficit.
Jalen Chatfield took a long shot from the point, which deflected off Jordan Staal to open the scoring 44 seconds into the game. Minutes later, Staal and Jesper Fast rushed down the ice, with Staal making a quick pass to Fast, who buried the second goal for the Hurricanes to deepen the lead.
After Lambert called an early time out, the Islanders kickstarted their offense. Holmstrom sent the puck down the ice to reach Anders Lee, who collected and dished the puck back to him. Holmstrom raced down the ice in a one-on-three, weaving his way through Hurricanes defense to beat Frederik Andersen to get the Islanders on the board. Brock Nelson continued that momentum, scoring on a wraparound goal to extend his goal streak to two games, reaching a team-high 17 goals in the process. The Islanders finished the period with the score knotted at two.
HURRICANES 5, ISLANDERS 2
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KINGER'S CALLS
Holmstrom Goes High
Nelson's Wraparound
"It's never a good recipe to give up a goal in the first shift, then find yourselves down 2-0," Zach Parise said. "But we came back and got ourselves back into it. We erased the slow start to give ourselves a chance."

HURRICANES PULL AWAY IN THE THIRD:

The Islanders played a solid second period, but a centering feed from Tuevo Teravainen deflected off Aho's stick to give the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead before the second intermission.
The Islanders had their chances in the final frame, outshooting Carolina 16-9, but their third period struggles were evident against the Hurricanes. The Islanders have gone nine straight games without a tally in the third period.
"We're just not converting when we do get those looks," Zach Parise said. "We're just not burying them."
Aho was the hero for Carolina, securing the fourth goal to regain a two-goal lead, capitalizing off a turnover from the Islanders Sebastian Aho, ultimately icing the game with an empty net goal to complete his sixth career hat trick.
"They're a tough team to play," Nelson said of the Hurricanes. "They're tight on you, there's not a lot of space. Lots of speed. It's just it's a tough game."

CLUTTERBUCK OUT, RATY IN:

Cal Clutterbuck suffered an upper-body injury in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss, leaving after two periods of play. With the 35-year-old winger is out of the lineup indefinitely, the Islanders recalled Aatu Raty from Bridgeport on Saturday. Raty centered the fourth line with Ross Johnston and Matt Martin in his eighth NHL game, recording three hits in 8:50 TOI.
Lambert made some additional lineup changes to face this Hurricanes team.
Casey Cizikas filled in on the top line as a winger with Anders Lee and Mat Barzal, as position the career center has occasionally filled in on this month.
Parker Wotherspoon drew into the lineup for the first time since Monday, replacing Dennis Cholowski. He was on the ice for both Islander goals in the first period, also recording two hits in 11:13 TOI.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs on Monday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.