Islanders eliminated from playoffs, lack of clutch scoring among culprits

The New York Islanders were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes with a 6-3 loss in Game 5 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round on Tuesday. It is the second time in as many seasons they lost to the Hurricanes at this stage after a six-game series in 2023.

The Islanders (39-27-16) made the playoffs as the third-place team in the Metropolitan Division. They have qualified in five of the past six seasons but haven't won a round since a run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals, a seven-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Cal Clutterbuck, F; Matt Martin, F; Karson Kuhlman, F; Brian Pinho, F; Mike Reilly, D; Robert Bortuzzo, D; Sebastian Aho, D; Robin Salo, D

Potential restricted free agents: Oliver Wahlstrom, F; Simon Holmstrom, F; Ruslan Iskhakov, F; Kyle MacLean, F; Dennis Cholowski, D

Potential 2024 Draft picks: 5

Here are five reasons the Islanders were eliminated:

1. Lack of clutch scoring

This series was closer than it seemed. Take away an empty-net goal in each of the first two games, and the first four were decided by one goal. Game 5 was tied in the third period.

Throughout the series, Islanders coach Patrick Roy was asked what made the difference. Each time he said his team needed to score a big goal. It rarely did.

In Game 1, MacLean scored in the first period and the Islanders never scored again in a 3-1 loss. In Game 2, they scored twice in the first but managed five shots on goal in the final 40 minutes while the Hurricanes scored five unanswered goals to win 5-3. In Game 3, Pierre Engvall pulled New York within 2-1 with his goal at 2:48 of the second. The Islanders cut it to one again at 17:39 of the second but did not score in the third and lost 3-2.

The Islanders got big goals from Mathew Barzal and Jean-Gabriel Pageau in regulation of Game 4 and then the biggest goal of all by Barzal in overtime. In Game 5, Casey Cizikas scored the tying goal with 22 seconds left in the second, New York's last goal of the series.

2. Inability to hold a lead

The Islanders could not handle prosperity. They struggled to get leads, but, more tellingly, they squandered the leads they fashioned. 

The Hurricanes were on the ropes in Game 2 when Frederik Andersen allowed goals on three of the first six shots he faced. They weren't knocked out and the Islanders lost after surrendering a three-goal lead for the first time in their playoff history.

In Game 4, the Islanders led 2-1 after Pageau scored their first power-play goal 1:38 into the third. Those were New York's only two leads of the series. Neither lasted.

3. Top players silenced

The Islanders didn't get enough from their best.

Barzal led them with five points (two goals, three assists), four coming in the two elimination games. Noah Dobson had 70 points (10 goals, 60 assists) in the regular season and had one assist against the Hurricanes. Brock Nelson scored 34 goals in the regular season, two in the postseason. Bo Horvat (33 goals) had one goal. Kyle Palmieri (54 points; 30 goals, 24 assists) had a goal and two assists.

4. Transition game lacking

Barzal said during the series that it was one of the tightest-checking playoff rounds he ever played. Open ice was at a premium and had to be worked for constantly. Carolina's forecheck and cycle game were disruptive and draining.

This was most evident in Game 2, when the Hurricanes rallied from down three goals, and in the first period in Game 5. In Game 2, they dominated in offensive-zone time and the shot attempts were 110-28. In Game 5, Carolina had 21 shots on goal to New York's four in the first period. The duress and debilitation caused by such a relentless forecheck paid huge dividends throughout the five games.

The Hurricanes led the series in shot attempts 407-290.

5. Quick strikes

The series is defined by two stretches of less than 10 seconds.

With the Islanders leading 3-2 late in the third period of Game 2, Sebastian Aho scored at 17:45 to tie it 3-3. Nine seconds later, Jordan Martinook scored the winning goal for the series-changing victory. Afterward, Roy admitted he thought about calling a timeout after Aho's goal but decided against it.

Jack Drury scored at 4:36 of the third in Game 5 to give the Hurricanes a 4-3 lead. Eight seconds later, Stefan Noesen made it 5-3 and finally broke the spirit of the Islanders.