Four up, four down. That's how it went for the Islanders in the playoffs as after they swept the Penguins in the first round, they just couldn't make enough plays to pull out a victory against the Hurricanes. The Isles dropped Game 4 Friday night, 5-2, and were swept out of the postseason.  >> Box Score

Six takeaways from Friday's game...

The Islanders might get swept Friday night in Raleigh, but there won't be any brooms in PNC Arena.

In a message to season-ticket holders, the Hurricanes told fans that brooms won't be allowed inside when Carolina hosts Game 4 of the second-round series.

Calvin de Haan played at both Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center during his five seasons with the Islanders before signing with Carolina last summer. He knows how rowdy the fans can get in Uniondale, and he believes the Islanders playing their second-round home games in Brooklyn helps his current team.

"It's great for us," de Haan said Thursday, according to Newsday. "It's good for the away team. It kind of negates the home-ice advantage to a certain extent. I've played there (the Coliseum) and it's loud and you do feed off of that. Whether you think of it or not, you do feed off the momentum of the crowd and it seemed to elevate everybody on the bench. But it is what it is. That's Mr. Bettman's decision so, whatever."

The New York Islanders left Barclays Center believing the results were not a reflection of their effort through the first two games of the Second Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, on Wednesday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, the Islanders were not the better team and now face a monumental challenge trailing the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0.

Teuvo Teravainen scored twice and Sebastian Aho recorded a goal and an assist, as the Hurricanes skated to a 5-2 victory in Game 3. Justin Faulk and Justin Williams also found the back of the net while Curtis McElhinney made 28 saves.

The Islanders are in a big hole after the Hurricanes handled them in a 5-2 loss on the road to give themselves a 3-0 lead in this Second Round series. >> Box Score

Five takeaways from Wednesday's game...

1) It was the Hurricanes getting on the board first, as Teuvo Teravainen buried it right next to the goal line. But Devon Toews quickly made it a tie game at one apiece with a power play goal. It was the rookie's first Stanley Cup Playoff goal of his career. 

Islanders coach Barry Trotz said their objective this week is to put wins together, one at a time.

"You can't win two unless you focus on the first, so we'll focus on the first and go from there," he said.

The Hurricanes have already knocked off the defending champion Capitals. Now they're trying to topple the team coached by last year's title-winning coach. >> Read More

Maybe this can be considered a guarantee, maybe not.

At the very least, Robin Lehner's comments to the New York Post Tuesday before the Islanders traveled to Raleigh for Game 3 reflect the great amount of confidence the Islanders maintain despite trailing 2-0 in their second-round series against Carolina.

"It's not a big deal. We're just going to go down there and win," Lehner told The Post.

There was a lot of talk about reality by the Islanders Sunday after Game 2 in Brooklyn. There was Barry Trotz, whose players generally carry the same poise he presents behind the bench, talking about how his team played a fairly complete game.

"That's the cruel reality sometimes is that you play really well and you don't get the result," he said.

Then there was Robin Lehner, the outstanding goaltender who summed up the game in this way: "We're not going to put excuses on hitting posts and bars and stuff, but the reality is I think we were the better team, and they just scored one more than us."

It changed in a matter of moments for the Islanders Sunday afternoon.

The Islanders entered the third period of Game 2 with a one-goal lead, but in the first 65 seconds of the final frame, the game was flipped upside down when the Hurricanes lit the lamp twice and stormed to a 2-1 victory

Warren Foegele wired a wrister from a sharp angle just 17 seconds into the third period, and then former Islander Nino Niederreiter redirected a puck past Robin Lehner 48 seconds later to give the Hurricanes a one-goal advantage they would never relinquish.

"It's pretty simple, we played our game for close to 59 minutes," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "Credit to them for popping two and holding us at the end."

The Islanders allowed two third-period goals and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on Sunday at Barclays Center in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, falling in a 2-0 series deficit. >> Box score

Five takeaways from Sunday's game

1) Leading 1-0 heading into the third period, Robin Lehner and the Islanders allowed two goals in a 48-second span. Warren Foegele tied it 17 seconds into the period for Carolina, and Nino Niederreiter deflected a shot in front of Lehner into the back of the net to make it 2-1.

2) After outscoring the Penguins 14-7 in a four-game sweep, the Islanders have managed just one goal through the first two games of the conference semis.

The Islanders were locked in a scoreless duel that stretched into overtime, but they fell to the Hurricanes at home Friday night, 1-0, in Game 1 of the second round. >> Box score

Five Takeaways from Friday's game

1) Jordan Staal scored the game's only goal 4:04 into overtime to give the Hurricanes the win and hand the Isles their first loss of the postseason. Nino Niederreiter had a bank pass off the end boards around the net to Staal, whose shot went off Robin Lehner's left skate as he was trying to close the post and went in.

The Islanders have been off since Apr. 16, when they completed a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 3-1 win. It was just the second postseason series win since 1994 for New York, which advanced to the second round in 2016.

The Islanders held five practices during their long break, but head coach Barry Trotz sensed something different Thursday morning.

"You could tell that there's guys that are turning the switch on a little bit -- not that they've turned it off, they've done a really good job, but I think the urgency is definitely there," said Trotz, who coached the Capitals to the Stanley Cup title last season before joining the Islanders last June. "They're a little more business-like, if you will. They've been business-like right through, but this is just a little different level."

After waiting for more than a week, the Islanders finally found out late Wednesday night that they'll play the Hurricanes -- the Bunch of Jerks -- in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And because Carolina upset Washington in Game 7 on the road, the first road win by a team in the series, the Isles will get home-ice advantage in the second round, with Game 1 in Brooklyn on Friday night.

Will the well-rested Islanders be rusty Friday night having not played since last Tuesday? Or will they be able to pounce on a Hurricanes squad tired and beat up after a grueling seven-game series?

Let's take a look at how the Islanders and Hurricanes match up heading into the second round of the postseason.

The stage is set for the Second Round matchup between the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. 

The Islanders still have home ice advantage after the Hurricanes upset the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Capitals in Game 7 on Wednesday night. These two teams will kick off the new series on Friday night in the Barclays Center at 7 p.m.

After the home opener, here's how the schedule breaks down...

Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner turned his life around, getting sober after abusing alcohol and drugs, and then turned his career around. His outstanding season led to Lehner becoming one of the three finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

He followed that up with a terrific first round as the Isles swept the Penguins in the first round. NBC Sports analyst Patrick Sharp, a three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blackhawks, breaks down Lehner's play and a potential goalie matchup against either Washington's Braden Holtby or Carolina's Petr Mrazek.

The Islanders are going to be waiting a while to find out who their next opponent is.

They know for the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs that they'll play the winner of the Washington-Carolina series, but that series is guaranteed to go until at least Monday night after the Hurricanes defeated the Capitals Thursday night in Game 4 to tie the series at 2-2. The home team has won each game, and Washington will host Game 5 on Saturday before the series shifts back to Raleigh Monday for Game 6. Had Washington won Thursday, they could've won the series on Saturday.

So it will be more than a week between games for the Isles, who clinched a sweep of the Penguins on Tuesday in Pittsburgh. 

By losing to the Maple Leafs on Monday and failing to close in on the Capitals, the Islanders left themselves open to losing control of their destiny as they hope to open the playoffs next week at Nassau Coliseum.

But the idle Isles caught two breaks on Tuesday when the Penguins, who are two points behind the Isles in third place in the Metropolitan Division, lost 4-1 to a lottery-bound Red Wings team, and the Blue Jackets fell 6-2 to the Bruins. Carolina defeated Toronto 4-1 to jump Columbus in the standings.

Harvard defenseman Adam Fox, whose NHL rights are owned by Carolina, won't be signing an entry-level deal with the Hurricanes, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, and the Jericho, N.Y. native is being linked to the Rangers.

The Hurricanes will try to trade Fox, owner Tom Dundon told The News & Observer. Carolina acquired Fox's rights from Calgary in a trade at last year's NHL Draft which saw the Hurricanes bring in Fox, Dougie Hamilton and Michael Ferland for Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm. 

LeBrun had recently mentioned that the Rangers are believed to be among the teams interested in Fox, a third-round pick from the 2016 draft, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the 21-year-old righty were interested in joining the Blueshirts, who were his favorite team growing up. 

The most important piece of business for the Islanders was taken care of Saturday night when they punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now they look ahead to which seed they might get and who they might face when the first round starts next week.

But even though there are just three games remaining in the NHL regular season entering their Monday night matchup against John Tavares and the Maple Leafs, the Isles can finish anywhere from first in the Metropolitan Division to the last wild-card spot.

Let's take a look at all the playoff scenarios as the Islanders, who currently occupy the No. 2 spot in the Metro, prepare for the final week of the season:

Metropolitan Division champions

Marcus Johansson scored two goals as the Devils beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Sunday at Prudential Center. >> Box score

First period:

• 11:35 NJD Pavel Zacha (power play); Assists: Ryan Murphy, Nico Hischier
• 19:03 NJD Marcus Johansson; Assists: Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri

The Rangers could not score against Hurricanes goalie Petr Mrazek as Carolina pulled ahead by scoring three goals in the third period to shutout New York, 3-0, on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. >> Box score

Third period:

• 6:43 CAR Warren Foegele; Assists: Saku Maenalanen, Greg McKegg
• 18:45 CAR Andrei Svechnikov (ENG); Assists: Brock McGinn, Brett Pesce
• 19:31 CAR Brock McGinn (ENG); Assist: Brett Pesce

The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers may not make the playoffs this season, but they both appear eager to make it as difficult as possible for anyone else to reach the postseason.

A pair of teams looking to do more than play spoiler will face off Friday night when the New York Rangers host the Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.

The New Jersey Devils allowed two goals in a span of eight seconds in the first period as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on Sunday at PNC Arena. >> Box score

First period:

• 0:22 CAR Justin Williams; Assists: Jordan Staal, Brock McGinn
• 0:30 CAR Micheal Ferland; Assists: Teuvo Teravainen, Dougie Hamilton
• 6:33 NJD Pavel Zacha; Assists: Marcus Johansson, Jesper Bratt

The Rangers allowed four unanswered goals in the third period as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 8-5 on Sunday at PNC Arena. >> Box score

Third period:

• 4:26 NYR Chris Kreider; Assists: Tony DeAngelo, Jesper Fast
• 5:01 CAR Lucas Wallmark; Assists: Jordan Martinook, Andrei Svechnikov
• 10:44 CAR Andrei Svechnikov; Assists: Justin Faulk, Calvin de Haan
• 11:31 CAR Warren Foegele; Assist: Justin Williams
• 19:29 CAR Teuvo Teravainen (ENG); Assist: Sebastian Aho

The Islanders lost their third straight game after falling to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Sunday at Barclays Center. >> Box score

First period:

• 2:50 CAR Jaccob Slavin; Assists: Joakim Nordstrom, Victor Rask
• 4:44 CAR Lee Stempniak

Second period:

• 10:29 NYI Josh Bailey; Assists: Ryan Pulock, John Tavares
• 12:22 NYI Anders Lee (power play); Assists: Tavares, Mathew Barzal
• 14:04 CAR Rask; Assists: Joakim Nordstrom, Slavin

Third period:

• 8:05 NYI Lee (power play); Assists: Bailey, Tavares
• 13:11 CAR Trevor van Riemsdyk; Assists: Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho

The New Jersey Devils won their third straight game with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at PNC Arena. >> Box score

First period:

• 10:56 NJ Nico Hischier (power play); Assists: Sami Vatanen, Keith Kinkaid

Second period:

Jaroslav Halak surrendered three goals in the first period as the New York Islanders lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Sunday at PNC Arena. >> Read more

First period:

• 1:50 CAR Sebastian Aho (power play); Assists: Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Faulk
• 3:40 CAR Teravainen; Assists: Aho, Noah Hanifin
• 10:44 NYI Nick Leddy
• 17:13 CAR Elias Lindholm; Assists: Phillip Di Giuseppe, Jeff Skinner

Second period:

Jean-Francois Berube and Thomas Greiss both allowed four goals as the New York Islanders lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, 8-4, on Monday at Barclays Center. >> Read more

First period:

• 9:11 NYI Ryan Strome; Assists: Andrew Ladd, Thomas Hickey
• 14:14 CAR Jaccob Slavin; Assists: Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask
• 14:40 CAR Joakim Nordstrom; Assists: Lee Stempniak, Slavin
• 17:32 NYI Stephen Gionta; Assists: Cal Clutterbuck, Nikolay Kulemin 

Second period:

• 2:43 NYI Calvin de Haan; Assists: Joshua Ho-Sang, Hickey
• 6:51 CAR Justin Faulk; Assists: Jordan Staal, Noah Hanifin
• 8:02 CAR Jeff Skinner; Assists: Elias Lindholm, Matt Tennyson
• 8:58 CAR Faulk; Assists: Noah Hanifin, Patrick Brown
• 11:45 CAR Slavin (short handed)
• 13:50 NYI Ho-Sang; Assist: Anthony Beauvillier

Third period:

• 3:43 CAR Skinner (Penalty Shot)
• 10:57 CAR Slavin; Assists: Teuvo Teravainen, Staal

The New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday at 7:30 p.m. Barclays Center.

According to STATS:

• The Hurricanes have won their first two games against the Islanders this season, including an overtime win in Brooklyn during the last meeting. The last time Carolina had three wins in a season against New York was 2013-14.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The New Jersey Devils are feeling relatively good about how they're playing, while the Carolina Hurricanes are dealing with the afterglow of a feel-good story.

The Metropolitan Division rivals meet Tuesday night at PNC Arena.

The Devils bring a stretch of two victories in three games into the tilt after defeating the visiting Boston Bruins 3-0 on Monday night. The team is still trying to make up from a miserable stretch earlier in the season.

The New Jersey Devils have shown the ability to respond from some not-so-solid performances and that mindset could go a long way in helping the team navigate through the season.

The Carolina Hurricanes haven't been quite so in tune with dodging rough patches during the first few weeks of the season.

But Tuesday night at New Jersey, the Hurricanes aim to get on track because they've gone four games without winning in regulation.

Mike Cammalleri recorded a hat trick to lead the New Jersey Devils to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at PNC Arena.

First Period

• 8:31 NYR Mats Zuccarello (Power Play); Assists: Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich
• 12:34 CAR Jeff Skinner; Assists: Noah Hanifin, Victor Rask

Second Period 

• 0:33 CAR Jeff Skinner; Assists: Brett Pesce, Jaccob Slavin
• 12:17 NYR Mats Zuccarello; Assists: Ryan McDonagh, Henrik Lundqvist
• 19:59 CAR Bryan Bickell (Power Play); Assists: Jeff Skinner, Victor Rask

Three Stars

It's been a little while since the Carolina Hurricanes or the New York Islanders won consecutive games, but it's probably only a requirement for one to make the playoffs.

It'll in fact take quite a bit more for Carolina to climb the Eastern Conference ladder, and that near-desperate attempt continues Tuesday night in Brooklyn as the clubs meet for the second time in four days.

While the Islanders (40-25-9) are trying to catch Pittsburgh for third in the Metropolitan Division, entering this contest three points back with a game in hand, the Hurricanes (33-28-15) have more work to do to track down a wild-card spot.

Victor Rask had the first multigoal game of his career, scoring twice as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Sunday.

Rask, who has scored in three straight games, ended the Hurricanes' skid of six consecutive games without a power-play goal when he connected in the second period to give him 20 this season.

Ron Hainsey scored the other Carolina goal, and Cam Ward made 23 saves.

(AP) -- J.T. Miller scored twice in the second period and Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves to lead the New York Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night.

Ryan McDonagh scored to stretch his scoring streak to four games, and Keith Yandle also had a goal for New York.

Joakim Nordstrom scored for Carolina, and Eddie Lack made 28 saves.

The 5-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes is one the Islanders want to quickly forget considering the lackluster performance they put on in front of a sold out Nassau Coliseum. The Isles ?allowed 41 shots on net through three periods, while only registering 24, and the Hurricanes led in shots attempted 70-46.

The Islanders, who are now preparing for a four game road trip, played sluggishly and allowed the Hurricanes to out work them for most of the 60-minute affair.

The Islanders defeated the Hurricanes 4-3 in the second of a home and home with Carolina, and the final home opener in Nassau Coliseum history. The win was helping meaning in two distinct ways. One being the Islanders getting a win on a night when was so important to the fans and the other being that they began to establish a winning culture at home.

Home victories were hard to come by last season for the Isles, so to get one early is a step in the right direction.

at

Nassau Coliseum -- Uniondale, NY

TV: MSG Plus Radio: WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9 FM

at

PNC Arena -- Raleigh, NC

TV: MSG Plus Radio: WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9 FM

at

Nassau Coliseum -- Uniondale, NY

TV: Islanders TV Radio: 88.7

[sny-box]

- The Devils had an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Mark Fayne, by the Hurricanes stormed back in the second period on goals by Jeff Skinner and Jordan Staal.

New Jersey Devils vs. Carolina Hurricanes - 7:00 pm

Prudential Center - Newark, New Jersey

TV:?MSG+ ?Radio:?WCBS 880-AM