Canes Come From Behind, Earn Overtime Victory On Long Island

ELMONT, NY. - Despite trailing 3-0 in the middle stages of the second period, the Carolina Hurricanes walked away with two points on Saturday, taking a 4-3 win from the New York Islanders.

A Late First Period Backbreaker, Again...

Expectedly a defense-first matchup, Antti Raanta was strong out of the gate for Carolina, making his fourth start of the season.

Called upon to make a handful of crucial saves in the first 15 minutes, he more than upheld his end of the bargain.

However, inside the final five minutes of the frame, the Islanders were able to break the ice.

A slick connection between Mat Barzal and Noah Dobson resulted in the Islanders forward walking by a Canes defender and beating Raanta.

It was the fourth time in 12 games already this season that Carolina has allowed a goal inside the final five minutes of a first period, halting any momentum they had before heading back to the locker room.

It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better...

Carolina had a quality opportunity to find an equalizer inside the first five minutes of the second period, given a power play after a high stick got Tony DeAngelo up high.

Instead, things went the other way.

A blocked puck at the attacking blue line squirted out to center and sent the Islanders in on a two-on-one, one they'd cash in on.

Simon Holmstrom made it 2-0, and 3:35 later the Islanders' lead then became a trio.

Carolina was in a very tough spot with 12:14 remaining in the second period.

Chatfield Gets His First of the Season...

Fortunately, the Canes had an answer to stop the bleeding just 32 seconds later.

A shot from the point by Jalen Chatfield caught the backside of an Islanders defender, changing directions before getting by Ilya Sorokin.

Built A Game Again...

Chatfield's first goal of the season clearly brought a spark to his group.

Carolina was far and away the better team in the back half of the second period, and they'd continue their momentum to start the third.

Outshooting New York 19-5 in the final period of regulation, the Canes just kept chipping away and chipping away. New York was content with sitting back and relying on Sorokin in net, but their plan didn't go as hoped.

Dmitry Orlov earned his first as a Hurricane during the middle stages of the frame, making it a one-goal contest.

Like Chatfield, the newcomer used a screen from Seth Jarvis to give his team further hope.

No Giving Up...

With 7:41 on the clock and the scoreboard showing 3-2, the snowball kept moving forward for Carolina.

Continuing their push, an equalizer was found via Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the final five minutes of regulation.

Following an offensive zone faceoff, Stefan Noesen poked a puck free to Svechnikov below the goal line, and an awaiting Kotkaniemi in front made no mistake.

Fishy Finishes The Job...

Forcing overtime and collecting at least one point, Rod Brind'Amour's group decided to get greedy and take both.

The three-on-three session consisted of just two total shots, both playing a critical role in the ending.

First, a good-looking chance for Dobson to earn his second of the game was denied by Raanta, and the rebound was Carolina's possession to take.

Working back up the ice, Martin Necas then dropped off a pass for Sebastian Aho, who gave his team the win.

They Said It...

Sebastian Aho when asked what made it possible for his team to come back in tonight's contest...

"Just sticking with it.  We did a great job of not giving up.  Down three on the road is not easy to come back.  Rants made a couple of nice saves and that gave us some momentum.  We had a few great individual efforts here and there, and we got rewarded.  It was a great team effort."

Jalen Chatfield on getting four of six points on this three-game road stint...

"I think it's huge.  We obviously wanted to get all six, but coming out with four, we'll take it.  We're going to take what we did positively, especially the back half of the game.  Even the things at the start that we did do right.  I think we did a lot of things right tonight and we're going to carry that into the next game."

Rod Brind'Amour sharing his thoughts on the contest as a whole...

"It was tough to go down 3-0.  We weren't playing poorly.  We made a couple of mistakes and their talent got us.  Barzal made a hell of play on the one goal and the shorthanded goal was unfortunate.  But I loved the way we played the rest of the game.  I even commented in between periods that if we could keep playing that way, win or lose, that's just how we have to do things.  The third was even better.  It's a great win for the boys, they deserved it."

Bonus Notes...

• Michael Bunting (personal reasons) did not play tonight.  Brendan Lemieux slotted in in his place.
• Raanta finished with 22 saves, earning a win now in three consecutive decisions.

What's Next?

The Canes will return home immediately post-game and are scheduled to be off on Sunday. They'll return to practice on Monday before taking on the Sabres at PNC Arena on Tuesday.

Worth A Click

Mailbag #69: Equipment Talk

Prospects Update: October

Injury Report: Pesce To Miss Several Weeks

Williams Named To Hurricanes Hall of Fame

Prospects: Where Are They Playing?

Uniform Schedule For 2023-24 Announced

2023-24 Single Game Tickets On Sale Now

Canes, Bally Sports South Announce 2023-24 Broadcast Info