As season winds down, so do Isles

THE HURRICANES simply outplayed the Islanders in a matchup of teams headed for a spring without playoff games.

Trevor van Riemsdyk scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and Scott Darling made 26 saves as the Hurricanes beat the reeling Islanders, 4-3, Sunday in Brooklyn.

Van Riemsdyk’s second goal of the season came on a long slap shot with 6:49 remaining to help snap Carolina’s three-game losing streak and continue the late season swoon by the Islanders, who have just one win their last 12 games.

Anders Lee scored twice, but took little solace in his personal achievement as his team faces another spring without the postseason. The Islanders are 1-7-4 in their last 12 games. “It’s painful because we work extremely hard and we don’t have much to show for it,” Lee said. “That’s why this is so frustrating.” — AP