Islanders hold off Hurricanes in Game 5, stay alive in East 1st Round

RALEIGH, N.C. — The New York Islanders stayed alive in the Eastern Conference First Round with a 3-2 win towards the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5 at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes nonetheless lead the best-of-7 collection 3-2. Game 6 will likely be in New York on Friday.

“I think you’ve seen this from this group a lot this year. It’s a resilient group,” Islanders captain Anders Lee stated. “You know, our road just to get in wasn’t that easy, we had to pull ourselves out of a hole after some tough stretches, but we believe in one another, we believe in this group and what we can do and how we can play. And that was no different coming into this evening.”

Pierre Engvall and Brock Nelson every had a target and an help, and Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves for the Islanders, who’re the primary wild card from the East.

“They come out hard in this building,” New York trainer Lane Lambert stated. “We knew they were going to come out hard. We knew [Sorokin would] have to make a few saves, and he did. 

“There was once no, for lack of a higher time period, panic in our recreation. We simply made positive that we caught to our plan. We knew we would want a few saves going house, however no doubt we did that. We simply performed lovely secure and lovely cast and we battled.”

Video: NYI@CAR, Gm5: Sorokin goes post to post for save

Paul Stastny and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, who are the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division. Antti Raanta made 19 saves.

“I love the best way we performed. We performed laborious,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We had a pair errors that value us, however there wasn’t a ton of the ones. It was once simply the bounces did not move our method.”

[RELATED: Complete Hurricanes vs Islanders series coverage]

Engvall put the Islanders ahead 1-0 at 10:27 of the first period. Nelson knocked down a clearing attempt from Brent Burns and sent a backhand pass to Engvall, who scored five-hole on Raanta from all alone in front.

“[Engvall] protects the puck and makes a large number of great little performs,” Nelson said. “Tonight he did a beautiful excellent activity hounding it, discovering himself in excellent spots, and producing possibilities via himself together with his pace.”

Video: NYI@CAR, Gm5: Engvall puts the Isles on the board

Stefan Noesen appeared to tie it on a power play at 18:11, but Lambert challenged the play for offside, and the call was reversed after a video review.

Nelson then made it 2-0 at 3:16 of the second period, batting the puck out of the air after Engvall’s shot from the slot hit Aho in the face.  

“I simply more or less did not know what hit me,” said Aho, who left to get stitches before returning later in the period. “It got here lovely briefly there. [Engvall] was once most certainly no longer aiming for my face both. It’s hockey. It occurs. A couple of stitches there and proper again at it.”

Video: NYI@CAR, Gm5: Aho brings the Canes within one

Stastny cut it to 2-1 at 13:10 when he redirected Jalen Chatfield‘s one-timer from the right point five-hole on Sorokin.

Mathew Barzal responded to make it 3-1 at 18:05 during a 4-on-4. He elected to keep the puck on a 2-on-1 with Bo Horvat and scored glove side from the left face-off circle.

“Bo was once a one-timer. Any time you’ll get a man together with his goal-scoring talent the puck in that scenario, it is a excellent probability,” Barzal said. “But I believed Burns did a excellent activity of taking the cross away, so it compelled me to shoot, and I simply picked a place.”

Video: NYI@CAR, Gm5: Barzal fires from the circle for goal

Barzal’s chance came after Horvat stripped Martin Necas of the puck at New York’s blue line.

“I made a turnover there. It was once a large target for them,” Necas said. “I’ve to be informed from that. There’s not anything else to do however pop out for the following recreation and be in a position.”

Aho got the Hurricanes to within 3-2 at 10:28 of the third period. He skated into the right circle and scored with a one-timer off a pass from Seth Jarvis, who received a puck fight with Adam Pelech in the back of the web.

“It’s intended to be laborious this time of 12 months,” Aho said. “We have been in a position for an extended collection. It’s no large deal. Obviously, simply return to Long Island and take a look at to do it any other evening there.”

NOTES: Engvall’s goal was his first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (22nd game). … The Islanders blocked 22 shots; the Hurricanes blocked four.  … Aho has six points (three goals, three assists) in the series. … Frederik Andersen sponsored up Raanta after lacking the former 3 video games with an sickness.