Eastern Conference Round 1, Game 1
Carolina 3, Isles 1
Carolina Leads Series 1-0
Evgeny Kutznetsov scored an early power play and added an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes took the opening game of their Round 1 playoff series with a 3-1 victory over the Isles before a sellout crowd of 18,825 at PNC Arena.
Kyle MacLean, playing his first Stanley Cup Playoff Game scored the only goal for the Isles. Frederik Andersen made 33 saves for the victory.
Game 2 of this series will be on Monday in Raleigh, before the series shifts to Long Island for games Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Evgeny Kuznetsov (1)Martin Necas (1), Brady Skjei (1) 01:35 NYI 0,CAR 1 PPG
Kyle MacLean (1) Anders Lee (1), Alexander Romanov (1) 08:20 NYI 1,CAR 1
2nd Period
No Goals
3rd Period
Stefan Noesen (1) Brady Skjei (2), Evgeny Kuznetsov (1) 03:44 NYI 1,CAR 2
Martin Necas (1)EN Brett Pesce (1), Jack Drury (1) 18:28 NYI 1,CAR 3
The Series
Game 1: Carolina 3, Isles 1
Game 2: Monday at Carolina 7:30
Game 3: Thursday at Isles 7:30
Game 4: Saturday at Isles 2:00
Game 5: (if needed) April 30 at Carolina
Game 6: (if needed) May 2 at Isles
Game 7: (if needed) May 4 at Carolina
The Skinny
The Isles have led after the first period in only two of their last 27 playoff games (2023 R1 games 5/6)... The Isles did not trail in either of their wins, or during play tonight…It is the third consecutive Islander playoff trip that ended in a one-goal loss, including twice in overtime… Scott Mayfield has not played since February 22nd, but tonight ended his playoff consecutive game streak at 55…Brady Skjei now has eighteen career playoff points, including four two-point games… Kyle MacLean is the first Islander to score a goal in his playoff debut since Ryan Strome in 2015…Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his 30th career playoff goal; six of those goals have come in thirteen games against the Isles…Matt Martin is the 17th player in Isles history to play in 80 playoff games; all players ahead of him won at least one Stanley Cup for the Isles.
Earliest Power Play Goal Allowed by the Isles (Playoffs):
0:41 Brian Mullen 4/11/1990 vs Rangers
1:35 Evgeny Kuznetsov 4/20/2024 at Carolina
1:48 Larry Murphy 5/10/1993 at Pittsburgh
Pulock the Playoff Scorer
Ryan Pulock is 5th among Islander defensemen in career playoff goals:
1. Denis Potvin 56
2. Ken Morrow 11
3. Mike McEwen 9
Tomas Jonsson 9
5. Ryan Pulock 8
The four players ahead of him share 14 Stanley Cup rings with the Islanders.
Pulock the Playoff Hitter
In regular season play, Ryan Pulock averages 1.7 hits (802 hits in 486 games). In the playoffs, Pulock has 177 hits in 62 games (2.9 per game), and he holds the Isles career record (real-time era) for playoff hits by a defenseman.
Most Hits by an Isles Defenseman (Playoffs, since 2007)
• Johnny Boychuk 10 4/23/2015 @ WSH
• Ryan Pulock 9 4/17/2023@ CAR
• Ryan Pulock 8 5/16/2021@ PIT
• Ryan Pulock 8 5/20/2021vs PIT
Whoa Nellie (with Apologies to Chris King)
Brock Nelson is the fifth player in club history to score 25 career playoff goals in 75 games or fewer. The others have 16 Stanley Cups and four retired jerseys:
• Mike Bossy (41 GP),
• Butch Goring (68 GP)
• Bryan Trottier (70 GP)
• Brock Nelson (73 GP)
• Denis Potvin (75 GP)
The Goals (Series)
Isles 1-0-0=1
Carolina 1-0-2=3
The Shots (Series)
Isles 8-13-13=34
Carolina 7-6-13=26
Led/Tied/Trailed
Game 1: Led: 0:00, Tied: 36:49, Trailed: 23:01
Series: Led: 0:00, Tied: 36:49, Trailed: 23:01
Playoffs All-Time
The Isles are 174-146 in 320 all-time playoff games. They are 97-55 at home (88-44 at the Coliseum, 2-5 at Barclays, 5-2 in Toronto, 1-2 in Edmonton and 1-2 at UBS Arena) and 77-91 on the road. In this year's playoffs, the Isles are 0--0 at home and 0-1 on the road.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-1-1
• Playoffs 0-1-1
Home is Where the Fans Are
The Isles have played 122 regular season games at UBS Arena and recorded 89 sellouts of 17,255. The Isles have sold out 3 playoff games as well.
Overtime is Our Time
The Isles are 40-24 (.645) all-time in overtime, including 20-14 at home. The Isles went 0-2 in overtime in 2023; they have gone 11-11 in 22 overtime games since 2015.
(all stats below exclude Seattle)
The Isles are the best overtime team in Stanley Cup history:
• Isles 40-24 .625
• Anaheim 24-15 .615
• Carolina 30-19 .612
• Florida 12-8 .600
• Ottawa 22-16 .579
• Colorado 46-34 .575
The Isles are also one of the best teams on the road in Stanley Cup history:
• Florida 9-4 .692
• Isles 20-10 .667
• Tampa Bay 14-7 .667
• Anaheim 15-8 .652
• Colorado 26-15 .634
• Carolina 14-9 .609
The Isles' winning percentage is tied-5th at home in overtime games
• Carolina 16-10 .615
• Chicago 30-18-1 .612
• Buffalo 20-13 .606
• Montreal 46-29-1 .605
• Isles 20-14 .588
• Ottawa 10-7 .588
Overtime vs. Carolina
The Isles are 0-3 all-time in playoff overtime games vs. Carolina:
4/26/19 Vs Jordan Staal L (0-1) 04:04 (Brooklyn)
4/19/23 @ Jesper Fast L (3-4) 05:03
4/28/23 Vs Paul Stastny L (1-2) 06:01
It was the last overtime game and penultimate playoff game at Barclays Center.
Sweet Lou
Lou Lamoriello has the second-highest post-season win total for any general manager in NHL history:
1. Glen Sather 187-137
2. Lou Lamoriello 171-150
Sather (324) is also the only GM with more playoff games than Lamoriello (321). Lamoriello will tie Sather's record in game 4.
First Things First
The Isles are 0-0 when scoring first and are 0-1 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 8-13-13=34
Carolina 7-6-12=25
Shots by Game
Game 1: Isles 34, Carolina 25
Series: Isles 34, Carolina 25
The Isles are 0-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0 when the shots are even and 0-0 when they are outshot.
In the Nets
Semyon Varlamov made 22 saves; he is 0-1 this year and 31-28 in his playoff career.
Frederik Andersen made 33 saves; he is 1-0 this year and 33-26 in his playoff career.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 on the power play (3:59); Carolina was 1-3 on the power play (4:12).
Power Plays by Game
• Game 1: Isles 0-2 (3:59, 4 shots), Carolina 1-3 (4:12, 3 shots)
• Series: Isles 0-2 (3:59, 4 shots), Carolina 1-3 (4:12, 3 shots)
• 2023 Playoffs Isles 1-18 (32:02, 21 shots), Carolina 5-25 (36:09, 26 shots)
The Isles are 0-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 0-1 when they do not. The Isles are 0-1 when they allow at least one power play goal and 0-0 when they do not.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 0-0 when they score at least three goals and are 0-1 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 0-0 in games decided by a single goal (0-0 in regulation and 0-0 in overtime). The Isles are 0-1 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Bo Horvat (21:29); Carolina: Seth Jarvis (20:38)
Bo Horvat led Isles forwards with 21:29 of ice-time.
Isles record by ice-time leaders: Bo Horvat (0-1)
Face-offs
Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%)
Brock Nelson won 9 of 16 for the Isles; Jordan Staal won 11 of 16 for Carolina.
Face-offs by Game
• Game 1: Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%)
• Series : Isles 24, Carolina 34 (41%)
Hit Count
Isles 17 (Matt Martin and Bo Horvat -3)
Carolina 23 (Jordan Staal -7)
Hits by Game
• Game 1: Isles 17, Carolina 23
• Series : Isles 17, Carolina 23
Fights
None. Playoff total: 0
Blocked Shots
Isles 21 (Four with 4)
Carolina 13 (Brent Burns -3)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 59, Carolina 74
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 52, Carolina 65
Corsi Game by Game:
Game 1: (All) Isles 59, Carolina 74; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Carolina 65
Series: (All) Isles 59, Carolina 74; (5-on-5) Isles 52, Carolina 65
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Noah Dobson +9
Carolina: Jalen Chatfield +18
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 8, Carolina 8
5-on-5: Isles 7, Carolina 8
High-Danger Game by Game:
Game 1: (All) Isles 8, Carolina 8; (5-on-5) Isles 7, Carolina 8
Series: (All) Isles 8, Carolina 8; (5-on-5) Isles 7, Carolina 8
2023 Playoffs: (All) Isles 89, Carolina 83; (5-on-5) Isles 68, Carolina 65
Scratches
(Scott Mayfield- LTIR), (JG Pageau- INJ), Samuel Bolduc, Oliver Wahlstrom, Ruslan Iskhakov, Sebastian Aho
Playoff Games Lost: 2
The Ironman (Playoffs)
Matt Martin played in his 80th consecutive Islander playoff game; he has played in every Islander playoff game since 2013.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 0 failures (Regular season 3 of 7, including 1 of 3 for Roy)
Opponents: 0 successful, 0 failures (Regular season 5 of 8 were successful)
League reviews: 0
Quickies
The Isles have not scored two goals in under a minute during this postseason. They did so eight times in the regular season.
The Isles allowed two goals in under a minute nine times in the regular season.
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
There has not been a multi-goal third period comeback in this year's playoffs.
The Isles came from two goals behind after two periods to win once and allowed the opposition to do so five times in the regular season.
Last Minute Heroes:
There has not been a tying or winning goal in the final three minutes of the third period in the playoffs,
In the regular season, the Isles scored five goals and allowed eight goals in the final three minutes of the third period that were either the winning goal or forced overtime.
Overtime Winners
Playoffs: For 0, Vs. 0
Regular Season: For 9, Vs. 11
Active Islander Playoff Leaders: (As NYI)
Games:
Matt Martin 80
Casey Cizikas 76
Brock Nelson 74
Cal Clutterbuck 72
Ryan Pulock 62
Scott Mayfield 57
Consecutive Games:
Matt Martin 80 (every game since start of 2013 playoffs)
Brock Nelson 69
Ryan Pulock 58
Mathew Barzal 56
Goals:
Brock Nelson 25
Mathew Barzal 15
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 11
Cal Clutterbuck 11
Anders Lee 9
Kyle Palmieri 9
Ryan Pulock 8
Matt Martin 8
Casey Cizikas 6
Assists:
Mathew Barzal 25
Brock Nelson 22
Ryan Pulock 16
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 14
Scott Mayfield 12
Adam Pelech 11
Casey Cizikas 11
Noah Dobson 9
Anders Lee 9
Points:
Josh Bailey 50
Brock Nelson 47
Mathew Barzal 40
Jean-Gabriel Pageau 25
Ryan Pulock 24
Cal Clutterbuck 18
Anders Lee 18
Casey Cizikas 17
Penalty Minutes:
Matt Martin 127
Cal Clutterbuck 86
Casey Cizikas 60
Scott Mayfield 47
Anders Lee 44
Mathew Barzal 39
+/-
Scott Mayfield +23
Jean-Gabriel Pageau +18
Kyle Palmieri +8
Adam Pelech +6
PP Goals
Mathew Barzal 4
Ryan Pulock 3
Anders Lee 3
Brock Nelson 3
Kyle Palmieri 2
Oliver Wahlstrom 1
SH Goals
Bo Horvat 1
GW Goals
Brock Nelson 7
Mathew Barzal 3
Ryan Pulock 3
Kyle Palmieri 2
Scott Mayfield 1
Casey Cizikas 1
Matt Martin 1
OT Goals
Mathew Barzal 1
Kyle Palmieri 1
Casey Cizikas 1
Goaltending
Ilya Sorokin 6-5, 2.70 GAA, .925 save percentage.
Semyon Varlamov 18-15, 2.30 GAA, .922 save percentage.
(Varlamov's 18 wins is second in club history to Billy Smith's 88. Among goalies who have played at least ten post-season games, Varlamov has the best goals against average while Sorokin has the best save percentage in club history.)
Series Stats
Carolina leads the series, 1 game to 0.
The Isles are 2-9 all-time in playoff games against Carolina, including 1-5 on the road.
The Isles are 8-17 in series where they lose the opening game and have lost nine of their last ten series.
UP NEXT
MONDAY, APRIL 22nd –ISLANDERS AT CAROLINA – GAME 2– 7:30pm
[MSGSN (Pre-game at 7:00), ESPN2, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, ESPN Radio].
The lsles look to even the series in Game 2 of the series. The Isles are 11-14 in game 2s of best-of-7's after losing game 1. The last time they faced this situation was in 2023 vs. Carolina; Jesper Fast scored the winning goal in overtime.
MSG Networks will continue to have game coverage in the first round of the playoffs. All Stanley Cup playoff games also air on either TNT/TBS or ESPN/ESPN2/ABC.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com.
