Game Analysis: Islanders At Hurricanes

Radek Dvorak scored the game’s only goal — his second game-winner of the season — and Justin Peters got a 21-save shutout as Carolina won it's second straight Metropolitan Division game with a 1-0 win over the Islanders.

Three Observations

1. Jim Rutherford’s past as a bargain shopper has both benefited and hindered the club in recent years, but there's no doubt he's come out of top so far this season. The trio of Dvorak, Nathan Gerbe and Manny Malhotra — all on two-way deals after tryouts with the organization — have made their presence felt beyond the scoresheet. Furthermore, they have combined for eight goals — the same total as the team's three highest-paid: Eric and Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin — and four of the team’s six game-winning goals.

2. After a couple shakier outings during the losing streak, the tandem of Justin Faulk and Andrej Sekera seem back on track. Carolina’s top D pairing neutralized John Tavares and Thomas Vanek — the Islanders’ two most dangerous forwards — in limiting them to just one shot each. The Jordan Staal line deserves credit as well, having logged significant time against New York's top line.

3. It was arguably the most fight-friendly game of the season, with Brett Bellemore fighting (er, grappling?) Matt Martin and Gerbe shedding his gloves for the second straight game — although he didn't receive a major either time. Overall, it's been a feistier Carolina team the past two games, something that was lacking earlier in the season.

Number To Know

6:39 — The amount of time that ran off the clock to start the game without a stoppage in play. That stoppage finally came when Carolina scored the game's lone goal.

Plus

Justin Peters — Carolina's No. 3 goalie appears to have settled into being the temporary No. 1. With a stingy defense in from of him, Peters earned his third career shutout by stopping all 21 Islanders shots to earn his second straight win. He had several big saves, including stopping speedy forward Michael Grabner on a breakaway, to preserve the Carolina lead and get the victory.

Minus

Riley Nash — On a night when Carolina owned the faceoff circle, Nash struggled. He won just one of six draws, dropping to 45.2 percent on the season.