Bo Horvat snapped a lengthy scoring drought to cap a four-goal second period Saturday for the host New York Islanders, who came back to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 in Elmont, N.Y.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom each collected a tying goal before Maxim Tsyplakov put the Islanders ahead 3-2 with 3:44 left in the second period. Horvat scored the eventual game-winner – his first goal since Nov. 7 (13 games) – 2:39 later.
Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves, including 18 in the third period as the Islanders – who have lost seven games this season in which they held a third-period lead – withstood a furious charge by the Hurricanes.
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Jesperi Kotkaniemi had an extra-attacker goal in the final minute of the third for the Hurricanes, who have lost four of five (1-4-0). Pyotr Kochetkov recorded 21 saves.
Svechnikov was credited with the game’s first goal with 4:17 left in the first, when his pass intended for Seth Jarvis glanced off the skate of Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson and fluttered past Sorokin for a power-play goal.
Dobson redeemed himself 6:05 into the second, when he had the primary assist on Pageau’s goal. The defenseman came to a halt deep in the Hurricanes zone as Jack Drury slid past him and left open Pageau, who beat Kochetkov glove side to tie the game at 1.
Svechnikov scored again on the power play at the 9:23 mark, when he buried a cross-crease feed from Jarvis.
Wahlstrom began the comeback with an unassisted goal just 43 seconds later. Islanders center Casey Cizikas hounded Dmitry Orlov into a turnover deep in the Carolina zone and Wahlstrom fired a shot into the far corner of the net to pull New York even at 2-2.
Pageau collected an unusual assist on the go-ahead goal when he leaped as Tsyplakov fired a shot from the slot. The puck glanced off Pageau and back to Tsyplakov, who beat Kochetkov stick side.
Later in the second period, Pageau and Horvat exchanged the puck in the neutral zone before Pageau sent a pass beyond a sliding Jaccob Slavin to Horvat, who fired into the upper right corner of the net.
The Hurricanes pulled Kochetkov with more than three minutes left and cut the deficit to one on Kotkaniemi’s goal with 48.7 seconds remaining, but Carolina didn’t record another shot.
–Field Level Media