NEW YORK — In an exciting overtime finish, Brock Nelson netted the game-winner just over two minutes into the extra period, leading the New York Islanders to a hard-fought 3-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Alexander Romanov and Anders Lee also added goals for the Islanders, who not only extended their winning streak to four games but have also claimed victory in seven of their last nine outings. Marcus Hogberg started in goal, making 24 saves before suffering a hand injury at the conclusion of regulation. Ilya Sorokin stepped in for overtime, successfully handling the only shot he faced to secure the win.
On the other side, Jack Roslovic and Sebastian Aho contributed goals for Carolina, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov recorded 23 saves during the match.
The scoring began early when Roslovic found the back of the net, tallying his 18th goal of the season at 5:18 in the first period. Aho quickly followed, scoring his 16th just 1:12 later, and putting the Hurricanes ahead 2-0 early in the game. However, the Islanders began their comeback when Romanov scored with 2:07 remaining in the first period—his first of the season. Lee later tied the game at 6:26 in the third with his 21st goal.
Tony DeAngelo made his debut for the Islanders after signing with the team for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes introduced forwards Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall, acquired in a three-team trade with Colorado that sent Martin Necas and Jack Dury to the Avalanche.
In terms of statistics, the Hurricanes fell to 6-1-2 over their last nine games and are now 8-3-2 since January 1. The Islanders faced some setbacks as defenseman Noah Dobson is out week-to-week due to a lower body injury, and Ryan Pulock exited this game early after being knocked down in the opening minute. DeAngelo logged significant ice time, playing 25:10 in his first game for the Islanders.
A critical moment in the game came when Hogberg made a crucial stop against Hurricanes defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere with under eight minutes remaining in the third period, preserving the 2-2 tie.
Notably, Roslovic’s current tally of 18 goals in 50 games puts him just four goals shy of matching his career-high of 22 achieved during the 2021-22 season with Columbus.
Looking ahead, the Hurricanes are set to face the New York Rangers on Tuesday, while the Islanders will host Colorado on the same night.
