RALEIGH, N.C.— It is easy to lament all the things the Islanders could have done better to avoid being on the brink of elimination going into Game 4 of their second-round series against the Hurricanes here on Friday night. But maybe it’s easier to realize just how much the Hurricanes have done well in order to be up 3-0 in this best-of-seven contest.
As equally unheralded as the Islanders coming into the playoffs, Carolina then beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals in double-overtime of Game 7 in the first round. They hardly missed a beat picking up two days later against the Islanders, who were mentally stale after 10 days off following their first-round sweep of the Penguins.