Recap: Hurricanes 8, Islanders 4

The New York Islanders were expecting a blizzard to hit Brooklyn on Monday night, but first they were hit by a flurry of goals in a 8-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Islanders allowed a season-high eight goals in the loss, giving up six goals in the first two periods, including four in the second period. There was still hope as the Islanders entered the third period down 6-4, but Jeff Skinner's penalty shot and Jaccob Slavin's third of the night sealed it for the Islanders. The loss was the Islanders' second straight, as they suffered consecutive regulation losses for the first time in 38 games.

"Disappointing certainly at this point in the season," John Tavares said. "Especially how crucial each game is for us."
The high-scoring loss came at a poor time for the Islanders, as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers on Monday, tying the teams with 75 points apiece. The Islanders currently hold the first tiebreaker (regulation/overtime wins), but they both sit one point back of Toronto for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Ryan Strome, Stephen Gionta, Calvin de Haan and Josh Ho-Sang scored for the Islanders. Justin Faulk and Jeff Skinner each scored two for the Hurricanes, while Slavin's hat-trick and a Joakim Nordstrom tally rounded out the score sheet.
Tied 2-2 after the first period, de Haan put the Islanders ahead 3-2 with a high short-side wrister at 2:43, but that was the final Islanders lead of the night. The Hurricanes rattled off four straight goals in a 4:54 span to take a 6-3 lead by the 11:45 mark of the second.
JF Berube's night ended after giving up four goals on 13 shots, but it was still an unfriendly night for goalies. Thomas Greiss (16 saves on 20 shots) allowed two of the first shots he saw in relief, as Faulk scored his second and Slavin beat Greiss on a partial shorthanded breakaway less than three minutes apart.
"They get that one, they tie it and we have to stop it right there and have a better pushback as a group," Travis Hamonic said.

Ho-Sang revived the Islanders with a goal 2:05 after Slavin's shorthanded marker, tapping a slap pass from Anthony Beauvillier past Ward at 13:50, but that was as close as the Isles came. Skinner scored his second of the game on a penalty shot 3:43 into the third period, more or less putting the game out of reach even before Slavin's third of the night.
The Islanders have a ride to Raleigh to process and move on from Monday's affair, as the teams meet in the second half of a home-and-home series on Tuesday night.
"We get the chance to redeem ourselves right away," Tavares said.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m.