Isles quell Hurricanes as Bailey reaches milestone
RALEIGH, N.C. — Josh Bailey celebrated his 1,000th NHL game with a big play for the Islanders.
Bailey snapped a tie in the second period, and the Islanders set an NHL record for successful penalty kills to begin a season in a 6-2 victory over the Hurricanes on Friday night.
“The guys in here knew how much this meant to me,” Bailey said. “They all stepped up and played a [great] game.”
Brock Nelson had two goals in the third period for the Islanders, who won for the first time in three road games this season. Oliver Wahlstrom and Matt Martin also scored before Zach Parise added a short-handed empty-netter.
The Islanders seemed inspired by Bailey.
“Those things seem to happen to the guys who do things the right way,” teammate Cal Clutterbuck said. “I’m glad I was here for that.”
The 33-year-old Bailey made it 3-2 with 3:34 left in the second, capping a stretch of three goals combined for the teams in less than two minutes.
“Everyone is thrilled for Josh,” Islanders coach Lane Lambert said. “His career, his successes, what a better what to cap your 1,000th game doing something like that.”
Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier each had two assists for the Islanders.
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves after stopping 41 shots in a 3-0 victory over the Rangers on Wednesday night.
After three more penalty kills, the Islanders haven’t allowed a powerplay goal in their first eight games, becoming the first team in league history to accomplish that feat.
Martin Necas and Brent Burns scored for the Hurricanes, who played at home for the first time in more than two weeks. They weren’t able to duplicate the solid play that contributed to a 3-1-1 road trip. Frederik Andersen stopped 26 shots.
The first goal occurred when Barzal led a transition sequence and passed the puck back to Walstrom, who drilled the puck past Andersen. It was Wahlstrom’s fourth goal of the season, but he had gone four games without a point.
Necas scored on a give-and-go with Brady Skjei 8:57 into the second, cutting down the slot to secure the goal.
The teams then combined for three goals in a 1-minute, 57-second span. Martin put the Islanders back on top when he cleaned up a Carolina turnover and blasted a shot past Andersen.
Burns, a veteran defenseman, posted his first goal with Carolina on a shot from inside the blue line. Bailey scored 51 seconds later.
The Islanders’ most impressive stretch came with a 5-on-3 penalty kill late in the second period, a sequence that included center Jean Gabriel Pageau on an extended shift without his stick. The Islanders are 28-for-28 on penalty kills, marking a franchise record to start a season.