New York Islanders: Breaking Down 5-2 Game Four Loss (Highlights)

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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 03: Greg McKegg #42 celebrates with Jordan Martinook #48 of the Carolina Hurricanes after scoring against the New York Islanders in the second period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena on May 03, 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Third Period

I want to know what Barry Trotz said to his team during the second intermission if anything at all. How do you try and motivate a team that’s seeing its season deteriorate right in front of them?

The Hurricanes kept doing what they’ve been doing all series long. They’ve been able to collapse in the defensive zone, support the puck carrier, and move the puck into the Islanders end.

Again, the Islanders had no answer. It honestly felt like Carolina had the hard counter to the New York Islanders. Nothing the Islanders were doing was working.

And then, at the 15:13 mark of the third period, Andrei Svehcnikov put that extra nail in the Islanders coffin with the Hurricanes fifth goal of the game.

At 4-1, the game was essentially over anyway, but that fifth goal put things way out of reach. As in a come back was not even in the realm of possibility.

Even if Brock Nelson scored with just over a minute to play to cut the Hurricanes lead to three goals.

Who’d of thought that just getting pucks to the net as Brock Nelson did could result in a goal? It wasn’t much, just a routine wrist show that Curtis McElhinney couldn’t handle.

Too little too late from the Islanders. Down three goals with a minute to play in game four down 3-0 in the series. They should have been doing that the second McElhinney took over for Petr Mrazek.

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It was a disappointing way to end the series and the season. After a 103 point season and a first-round sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins, everything was looking up going into the second round of the playoffs. And then they hit that metaphorical wall.

Maybe it was that ten-day break that broke whatever momentum they had. Maybe they just ran out of gas. Or maybe, and this is the more plausible scenario, they just ran into a better team at the wrong time.