Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT): Nelson caps comeback after injuries to Pulock, Hogberg

A couple injuries shade the Islanders’ first four-game win streak of the season.

The New York Islanders won their fourth consecutive game for the first time all season thanks to something equally rare for them, a victorious comeback from a 0-2 deficit. Brock Nelson scored the winner in OT to beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, win both games of a tough back-to-back, and give them a 4-2 record on this homestand with one more to go.

It was a night of team debuts and injuries. Former Hurricane Tony DeAngelo made his Islanders debut after signing earlier this week, while the Hurricanes unveiled their shiny new toys in Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall.

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DeAngelo’s debut was kind of important: he logged 25:10 as the Islanders lost Ryan Pulock to injury on his first shift when Son of Blake crossed legs with him as they rounded behind the net.

The Islanders also lost Marcus Hogberg, though not until the end of regulation, creating the odd and extremely rare scenario where Ilya Sorokin came in cold for 3-on-3 overtime, and “earned” the win after making one save.

First Period: Yikes of a start, hope-inducing finish

The game got off to an alarming start as the Hurricanes opened scoring at 5:18 and then by 6:30 they held a 2-0 lead.

Jack Roslovic scored on a rush that began with a long pass from the Hurricanes’ defensive corner, and he broke in on right wing to wire a high shot to the far corner.

Sebastian Aho The Lesser’s goal was on a fluke though; he sent a pass from behind the net that took a wild bounce off Isaiah George’s skate and caromed perfectly through Marcus Hogberg. Tony DeAngelo was on the ice but did not appear to tell Hogberg to make a damn save.

The Isles didn’t let this bad and somewhat unlucky start hold them down though. Alex Romanov got one back on the board at 17:53 to make it feel like they were in the game heading into the first intermission.

Second Period: Still in it

The score did not change in the second period, but it was another solid period for both sides and the Islanders had every right to think they were still in it. Pyotr Kochetkov wielded the old Dubie pokecheck not once but twice to stop what would’ve been sure goals had he missed — once on a breakaway from Bo Horvat, the other on a break-in from J-G Pageau.

Both were great examples of the Islanders countering the Hurricanes’ pressure with quick escapes and transitions up ice. Horvat split the defense, while Pageau was played in by Casey Cizikas’ quick pass on a give-and-go from the blueline.

Third Period: Tie it, then survive it

In the third, the Islanders tied it 2-2 at 6:26 after a nice faceoff win and an alert rebound attack by Anders Lee, who was slammed into the crossbar by Lady Byng Slavin.

They’d been good pursuing the equalizer up to that point, but with the score tied the Hurricanes went back to their traditional brand of hyperactive pressure. Lots of stretch passes, lots of speed up the wings, lots of threatening moments from Aho.

Without his stick, Hogberg made one particularly impressive shoulder save as he tracked the puck through traffic while his stick lay tantalizingly close at the top of the crease. His hand appeared to be hurting from the play where he lost his stick, but he was able to pick it up for another shift before inspecting his hand again at the whistle.

Overtime: Don’t let them test the cold goalie

Nelson’s OT winner was a thing of beauty and what we’ll miss most about the UFA when he’s gone. He rushed up ice 2-on-1 with Kyle Palmieri, opened his body to show pass until the last moment before turning to rifle a shot over the shoulder in the near-side corner.

Talk about a guy who has studiously worked on his game and improved his shot over the years; he’s such a different player from the pre-Trotzian days of wondering whether he could be a center or even a consistent top-six forward of any kind.

Up Next

This long homestand concludes Tuesday when the Rantanen-less Avalanche visit.