Hurricanes use power-play goals to edge Islanders in Game 1

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Sebastian Aho and Stefan Noesen scored power-play goals to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 2-1 on Monday night to open their first-round playoff series.

Noesen's tip on Brent Burns' shot from up top proved to be the winner at 2:27 of the second period, while Antti Raanta finished with 25 saves to lead a defensive effort that saw the Hurricanes turn away every chance the Islanders had with a man advantage to take the lead in the best-of-7 series.

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Carolina Hurricanes' Martin Necas (88) skates with the puck around New York Islanders' Casey Cizikas (53) during the second period of Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 17, 2023.  (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina, which came into the game with the league's No. 2 penalty kill, denied all four of New York's power plays. The Hurricanes also withstood the final roughly 90 seconds to protect the lead after the Islanders had pulled Ilya Sorokin for the extra attacker.

Ryan Pulock beat Raanta early in the second period for the Islanders, a big goal coming moments after Carolina had taken a 2-0 lead on Noesen's score. But that ended up being the last time either team would find the net, setting up a third-period grind to the final horn.

Sorokin finished with 35 saves for the Islanders, including a big one midway through the third when he slid across the crease just in time to stop Seth Jarvis near the post after a perfect pass from Teuvo Teravainen.

The Hurricanes are in the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the first such run since the former Hartford