The Islanders' best hope against hurricanes is a war of attrition

The Hurricanes, who played their ninth game in 18 days on Sunday afternoon, were hit by disaster in the first minute of the second game against the Islanders. Carolina defender Trevor van Riemsdyk was checked hard against the boards Cal Clutterbuck of New York knocked him out for the game and, according to coach Rod Brind'Amour, long after that.

The Hurricanes played more than 90 minutes against the Caps on Wednesday, and less than 48 hours after their overtime in the first game against the Islanders, they lost their defense. That meant Brett Pesce had to play more than 24 minutes on Sunday. Justin Faulk was there for 26:30. Jaccob Slavin had 27:21 of ice time. In addition, their goalkeeper Petr Mrazek, who dominated their last games, lost midway through the second game due to a groin injury. He was replaced by Curtis McElhinney.

All this, and the Islanders could not win the game. They dominated the Hurricanes 27-18 and dominated them for 59 minutes, but two goals in 48 seconds early in the third minute were enough for Carolina to go 2-1 and take a 2-0 lead. in series when returning home.

Needless to say, the Islanders must win the third game. But fortunately for them, the weakening of the Hurricanes could make things easier. Mrazek had been insoluble in the series before his release, his only goal being to allow his own defender. He has not yet been eliminated from match 3, but McElhinney, who is 35 and has already started in April, will probably be the starter. The veteran recorded 17 saves during his relief match Sunday, and his overall numbers represent only a slight drop, but that's Mrazek who helped carry the Canes where they are, and the monster of the white game will not miss the Isles.

The Canes, who have already beaten Micheal Ferland for who knows how long, will probably recover Andrei Svechnikov after his concussion for match 3 while Saku Maenalanen leaves active duty with a hand injury. But with van Riemsdyk leaving Dougie Hamilton without a partner, Haydn Fleury, 22, should be replaced. It's also great for the Islanders as Fleury has played just 20 games this season, accumulated one point and less than nine minutes of ice in each of the three playoff games he has played so far.

In the first two games of this series, the Islanders have been hit by the same disease that has scored goals they usually give to their opponents. The strength of this team has not been offensive at any time of the year, but in the last two games, their inability to get the puck out of their own stick and into the net has become almost supernatural. Generally, it's the other team tie his brains in knots trying to explain how unskilled islanders maintain such an impenetrable wall in front of the goal. But now, New York is looking for answers after missed opportunities, as when Anders Lee missed that crucial last-minute opportunity:

After this one stayed out, all the Islanders on the bench (with the exception of an apparently unruffled Clutterbuck) turned to the TV screen and asked themselves the same question: How are we supposed to get one in these guys?

But with these injuries, the Canes have lost their continuity and these forced changes are the best hope of the Islanders to bring this series to a tie. Whatever the official composition of Carolina for the third match, the names will be different from those who started the second and second matches. And for the Islanders, any potential change in these losses could be a lifejacket.