Andersen, Kuznetsov Carry Hurricanes to Game One Victory Over the Islanders
The Carolina Hurricanes, who made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, were the heavy favorites (+650) to win the Stanley Cup heading into the 2024 NHL postseason. The New York Islanders, on the other hand, made a late-season drive that paid off as they won eight of their last nine games to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. Both teams wanted to start the series well and establish the tone for the rest of it as they took the ice for Game One of their series on Saturday night at PNC Arena. The Hurricanes defeated the Islanders 3-1 and took a 1-0 series lead thanks to a 33-save effort from goalkeeper Frederik Andersen and an early power-play goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Just 1:22 into the game, the Hurricanes went on the powerplay to start things off when Anders Lee was given a holding penalty against Brady Skjei. After Martin Necas fed him the puck, Kuznetsov scored a power-play goal, shooting the puck over Semyon Varlamov's shoulder and into the net to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead and would make the Islanders pay. The Islanders tied the game at one goal midway through the first period when Kyle MacLean scored on a rebound shot from Alexander Romanov that Anders Lee deflected under Andersen's pad and MacLean knocked in the loose puck. The Islanders had a great second-period performance, registering 13 shots and limiting the Hurricanes to five in the middle frame. However, the Islanders would miss several opportunities to take the lead, and the game would go into the third period tied at one apiece.
The Canes would take a 2-1 lead in the third period when Stefan Noesen scored on a backhand shot at 3:44 after Kuznetsov's shot was deflected on its way to the front of the net. The Islanders would have another chance to tie the game halfway through the period when Noesen was called for a high-sticking penalty on Mike Reilly, but they were unable to take advantage of the man advantage. Necas sealed the Hurricanes' victory in Game One with an empty-net goal with 1:32 left in regulation after regaining possession of a loose puck at center ice and blasting it into the open net. After the victory, Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour spoke about Frederik Andersen's outstanding play for the Canes in the crease. "He's the difference in the game, obviously," Brind'Amour continued, "He made countless saves tonight that kept us in it." Before the series moves to Long Island, the Canes will try to increase their advantage in the series to 2-0 on Monday night when the Islanders and Canes reunite.
