I was surprised to get home from Game 2 and read about how badly the Islanders outplayed the Hurricanes, how unlucky they were, how they hit two crossbars, how Carolina stole this game with a couple of lucky breaks in a 48-second span to start the third period.
The Islanders were sloppy as hell on Sunday afternoon. They may have outplayed Carolina but they certainly didn’t play their best. I don’t think they played anywhere near their best, frankly.
I say that with the full understanding that Carolina deserves some credit for the Isles’ sub-optimal performance.