Islanders eliminated due to lack of scoring, special-teams woes

The New York Islanders were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Friday.

New York (42-31-9), which was the first wild card from the East, made the playoffs in their first season under coach Lane Lambert after failing to qualify last season for the first time since 2018.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Pierre Engvall, F; Hudson Fasching, F; Zach Parise, F; Scott Mayfield, D; Parker Wotherspoon, D; Semyon Varlamov, G
Potential restricted free agents: Oliver Wahlstrom, F; Samuel Bolduc, D
Potential 2023 Draft picks: 5
Here are five reasons the Islanders were eliminated:

1. Not enough from top forwards

The second line of Kyle Palmieri (two goals, three assists), Brock Nelson (two goals, three assists) and Engvall (one goal, one assist) was the Islanders' most productive, but it didn't get much support. The top line of Anders Lee (one goal), Bo Horvat (one goal, one assist) and Mathew Barzal (two goals) was broken up by the end of the series. The third line of Parise (no points), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (one assist) and Fasching (no points) didn't score a goal.
Barzal understandably had trouble finding his timing after missing the final 23 games of the regular season with a lower-body injury. Horvat pressed after being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 30 and signing an eight-year contract six days later.
Expect Barzal and Horvat to flourish next season, when Barzal is healthy and Horvat is more comfortable, but the Islanders needed more from them against the Hurricanes.

2. Special teams failure

Carolina was the better team on the power play and penalty kill. The Hurricanes were 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) on the power play through the first four games, including scoring two power-play goals in Games 1 and 4, helping them build a 3-1 lead in the series.
Although New York shut out Carolina's power play in the final two games (0-for-6), the damage was already done. And the Islanders power play was never able to overcome the Hurricanes' penalty kill, scoring one goal (Palmieri's deflection winner in Game 3) on 18 chances (5.6 percent) and allowing a short-handed goal.
The Hurricanes' 6-2 advantage in special-teams goals proved to be the difference in the series. The Islanders outscored them 12-10 at even strength.
RELATED: [Complete Hurricanes vs. Islanders series coverage]

3. Chasing games

The Islanders scored first and played with the lead for much of the final two games but gave up the first goal in Games 1, 2 and 4, losing all three. Playing from behind against a team with a strong defensive structure such as the Hurricanes is challenging. It was even more difficult for the Islanders, who struggle to score.
New York was 22nd in the NHL in scoring at 2.95 goals per game during the regular season and dropped to 2.50 goals per game in the playoffs. Of the Islanders' 15 goals in the series, four came during a 2:18 span late in their 5-1 win in Game 3.
The Hurricanes were 40-5-4 when scoring first during the regular season and the Islanders were 15-20-3 when allowing the first goal, so it was no surprise that falling behind in this series was a recipe for defeat.

4. Didn't exploit Carolina's goalies

Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin found his groove in the final two games, stopping 73 of 77 shots for a 1.90 goals-against average and .948 save percentage, and his 2.60 GAA and .929 save percentage for the series were good enough to win more than two games.
The problem was the Islanders didn't do enough against the Hurricanes' goalies. Antti Raanta had a respectable 2.45 GAA and .915 save percentage in the first four games before allowing three goals on 22 shots in a 3-2 loss in Game 5.
Frederik Andersen took over for Carolina in Game 6 and stopped 35 out of 36 shots in his first appearance since April 13.

5. Aho's impact for Hurricanes

Carolina's Sebastian Aho was the best skater for either team, finishing with a series-high seven points (four goals, three assists) and leading Hurricanes forwards with an average of 18:57 of ice time. Aho was a force throughout, beginning with his power-play goal 3:47 into the first period of a 2-1 win in Game 1, and ending with his tying goal at 9:24 of the third period that forced overtime in Game 6.
He had three points (one goal, two assists) in a 5-2 win in Game 4, and returned from being hit in the jaw with the puck (leading to an Islanders' goal) to score a goal in Game 5.