RALEIGH — The Hurricanes used a strong opening 10 minutes to put the visiting Islanders on their heels and then closed strong in the last 10 to cruise to a 6-2 win Thursday at Lenovo Center.
Brandon Bussi made 26 saves to win for the third time in four starts to begin his career, and Carolina had six different goal scorers, including rookie Bradly Nadeau opening the scoring with his first career goal — one of three Carolina scored in the first half of the opening period.
After Mark Jankowski and Jesperi Kotkaniemi did work in the corner to force a turnover, Nadeau pounced on a loose puck at the left faceoff dot and ripped a shot far side past the glove of David Rittich (27 saves) at 2:33 to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead that the home team would never relinquish.
“The puck popped in the slot, and I just got the shot off and it went in,” said Nadeau, who was playing in his sixth career game and third this season. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. You dream to score a goal in the NHL as a kid, and I was able to do that tonight.”
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said star winger Seth Jarvis’ prognosis “doesn’t look great” after he left the game in the third period after blocking a shot, which could mean a bigger role for Nadeau in the short term.
“He ripped it,” Brind’Amour said of Nadeau’s goal. “That’s kind of what you expect out of him, to get your first like that. And it kind of got us started, which got us going on the right foot.”
Carolina doubled its lead less than three minutes later when defenseman Mike Reilly collected the puck shorthanded and took a short-side shot that caught Rittich off guard. The veteran defenseman got his own rebound and quickly circled the net for a wraparound goal, his first with the Hurricanes, at 5:21.
“I was excited to play these guys,” Reilly said of playing against the team he spent the past two season with. “Didn’t know if I saw a goal coming, but no, it felt good.”
The lead ballooned to three when an Andrei Svechnikov point shot was redirected in front by Jordan Staal. The shot leaked through Rittich’s pads, and Jordan Martinook swept in the loose puck for his second goal in as many games to make it 3-0 at 10:21.
The Islanders cut the lead to two twice — once when this summer’s first overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, scored on the power play at 13:20 of the first and again when Simon Holmstrom scored just past the midway point of the third period — but both times Carolina responded.
Jackson Blake scored for the third time this season when Taylor Hall carried the puck the length of the ice — deking past Schaefer in the process — and dropping the puck back to the trailing Blake, who snapped a shot in from the hash marks.
Then Svechnikov answered Holmstrom’s goal by bulling his way toward the net on Schaefer and roofing the puck for his second goal in as many games.
“He’s getting a little rhythm going,” Brind’Amour said.
Logan Stankoven added his fourth goal of the season with 11 seconds left off an assist from Nikolaj Ehlers to put away the Islanders. Brind’Amour praised his team’s third period.
“We didn’t need to get more goals, but we did because we were playing right,” he said.
The win broke Carolina’s two-game losing streak and improved the team to 7-3-0 on the season heading into Saturday’s matinee in Boston. The Hurricanes played five rookies Thursday and will probably have to recall another player if Jarvis is unable to play against the Bruins. Still, it’s an opportunity for those filling in.
“Obviously hoping those guys can get back soon,” Reilly said, “but definitely a good opportunity right now.”
Notes: Defensemen K’Andre Miller, Shayne Gostisbehere and Jaccob Slavin, forwards William Carrier and Eric Robinson, and goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov did not play due to injury. … Dominick Fensore was a healthy extra. … Alexander Nikishin was plus 3 for the third time this season and is tied with Colorado’s Cale Makar and Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey atop the league at plus 11. … Sebastian Aho’s nine-game point streak came to an end. … The Islanders won 46 of 75 faceoffs (61%).
