3 Takeaways: Islanders Fall 5-2 Hurricanes in Game 4

The New York Islanders fell 5-2 in Game Four to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon and as a result trail their best-of-seven series three games to one.
Seth Jarvis (2G), Martin Necas, Sebastian Aho (1G, 1A) and Mackenzie MacEachern (1G, 1A) scored five goals for the Hurricanes, while Adam Pelech and Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders, albeit only after Carolina established a 4-0 lead.

The Islanders are 2-13 when trailing 3-1 in a series, last making a comeback in 1987 against the Washington Capitals, culminating in the Easter Epic. Teams that trail 3-1 in a best-of-seven series hold a record of 31-299 (.094) in NHL history.
The Hurricanes are 4-0 while leading 3-1 in a best-of-seven series. The Islanders will need to win Game Five on Tuesday night to extend their season.
"We'll regroup here," Anders Lee said. "We'll do our best to make sure we have another game in this building."

TWO POWER-PLAY GOALS SINK ISLES

The Islanders ran into penalty trouble on Sunday afternoon, going shorthanded five times and allowing a pair of power-play goals.
It was an off-night for the Isles PK, which killed at a league-leading 89.2% at home in the regular season. It also marked the second time in four games the Isles allowed two power-play goals in a game and the fourth time in four games the Isles had taken at least four penalties.
"We're taking too many penalties," Bo Horvat said. "And at the end of the day, it's killing our momentum and getting four lines rolling."
The first period was riddled with penalties - seven combined between the teams - and the Isles took two early ones. While the Islanders were killing off Zach Parise's minor for goaltender interference, Ryan Pulock was called for boarding Jack Drury at 3:30 of the first period, which was the turning point.
GM 4: CANES 5, ISLES 2
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"The 5-on-3 that they had shifted the game a little bit," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "The Parise penalty, I thought he got pushed in. [Jalen] Chatfield pushed him into the goaltender. Sometimes that happens, next thing you know we're down 5-on-3 and the momentum shifted."
The Hurricanes swarmed the zone with a 5-on-3 opportunity. After Brent Burns fanned on the shot, Stefan Noesen kicked the puck to Seth Jarvis across the crease, who had an open net and buried the opening goal of the game.
The Islanders took an undisciplined penalty at the end of the first period to enter the middle frame on the penalty kill and Hurricanes made them pay. Noesen made a no-look pass from the goal line to Martin Necas, who shelfed one over the glove of Ilya Sorokin to double the lead, sucking the energy out of UBS Arena.
"The penalty at the end of the first hurt us," Lambert said. "We made a mistake on the kill. Penalties hurt us tonight. I thought we took a couple of undisciplined penalties, no question."
The Islanders have been the better team at even strength overall in the series, but their five-on-five effort fell short in Game Four.
"They popped one early, down by two and we couldn't create," Anders Lee said. "The penalties tonight killed our five-on-five flow."
The Hurricanes took a 3-0 lead before the end of the period, as Mackenzie MacEachern and Sebastian Aho rushed down the ice and into the Islanders zone on a two-on-one. Aho finished off the play for the Hurricanes' third goal, while MacEachern recorded his first point as a Hurricane in his debut.
Jarvis buried his second goal of the night at 1:20 of the final frame to take a 4-0 lead, while MacEachern iced it when he made it 5-1 in the third.

OFFENSE STRUGGLES TO GET GOING:

The Islanders offense struggled to get going on Sunday, unable to get on the board until the Hurricanes opened up a 4-0 lead.
Adam Pelech made it 4-1 at the 3:14 mark of the third period. Brock Nelson scooped the puck out of the crease before Antti Raanta could cover it and Pelech pinched off the blue line wristed one in the slot, registering his first goal of the 2023 playoffs in the process.
The Islanders had some pressure in the immediate aftermath, but never got closer than three goals from tying the game.
Down 5-1, Horvat netted a shorthanded goal for his first goal of this postseason at 17:57 of the third period - cutting the deficit from four to three, but by then it was too late.
The Islanders were also outhit 42-31 for the first time in the series. Pulock led the team in hits with four, racking up 23 hits in the postseason. He also took a team-high six shots.
"We got jammed up in the neutral zone tonight," Zach Parise said. "We weren't getting through with any speed. That didn't allow us to get below the goal line with a ton of possession, which what was working [for us] last game."

TURNING THE PAGE:

The Islanders face elimination for the first time in the best-of-seven series, looking to stay alive in the series. They've talked about how momentum doesn't necessarily carry over from game to game, so they're viewing Tuesday as a clean slate.
"We learn game to game, we need to learn from mistakes made tonight," Parise said. "At this point, nothing matters except getting the series back here."
The Islanders will try not to dwell on the 5-2 loss and refocus on Tuesday for Game Five in Raleigh.
"We'll have the same mindset as we always have," Lambert said. "Win or lose, get ready for the next game."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders look to extend their season when they head to Raleigh for Game Five on Tuesday night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.