NEW YORK (AP) — Thomas Greiss didn't face a ton of shots against Carolina on Saturday. When he was tested, he came away with the big saves.
Greiss made 26 saves, Valtteri Filppula, Anthony Beauvillier, Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech scored and the Islanders beat the Hurricanes 4-1.
Greiss was starting in his second game in as many nights after leading the Islanders to a 4-3 overtime win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday.
"I think we just played a good team game again," Greiss said. "We didn't give them too many chances and played a solid game. Scored early and took the momentum right away."
Brock Nelson, Anders Lee and Bailey finished with multipoint games. It was the sixth multipoint game of the season for Bailey.
The Islanders limited the Hurricanes to a single goal for the third straight game. Justin Williams scored Carolina's only goal and Hurricanes starter Scott Darling made 15 saves in the loss.
The win was the Islanders' second in a row against a divisional opponent on back-to-back nights. The Islanders are 9-1-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents.
"We know the importance when it comes to playoff seeding, it's obviously crucial," Bailey said about the Islanders' success against divisional foes. "I think going into any game you have to get fired up and have preparation. But like anything there's probably a little extra going into divisional games."
Filppula scored the opening goal off a highlight reel play, juking the Hurricanes' defensemen. The Isles' forward then tucked the puck under the extended leg of Darling.
The goal was Filppula's sixth of the season and his 15th point.
"I was just trying to look for some empty room there," Filppula said about his goal. "It turned out to be one-on-one with the goalie. It definitely felt good to get that goal."
The Islanders extended their lead to two just over five minutes later when Beauvillier scored from in front of the net off a pass from Bailey. New York took a 3-0 lead in the second period when Bailey took a pass from Nelson behind the net.
Pelech scored the Islanders' fourth goal of the game at 8:52 of the third period.
Williams snapped Greiss' shutout bid with 6:37 left in the game, scoring through a chaotic scene near the net. The goal was his third in the last four games.
"I think we just didn't come ready to go from the get-go," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We knew what they were going to do. We talked about it. We had a game plan and from the first shift on we didn't do it at all. It's a tough one because we obviously wanted to keep moving forward, but man I've never seen us play that bad.
"We didn't come ready to go and we got what we deserved."
Saturday marked the first time former Islanders player Calvin de Haan returned to face his former team. De Haan played 304 games with the Islanders, including appearances at both the team's current home of Barclays Center and former home at the Nassau Coliseum. De Haan played 22:19 on Saturday night at Barclays Center.
Trevor Carrick and Ross Johnston dropped the gloves at the 5:11 mark of the second period. It marked Carrick's first fight in the NHL and it was Johnston's second scrap in the Islanders' last three games.
NOTES: The Islanders recalled F Tanner Fritz from AHL Bridgeport on Saturday morning and sent down F Michael Dal Colle. Dal Colle, a former first round pick in 2014, appeared in two games during a brief NHL stint. . Islanders D Nick Leddy appeared in his 600th NHL game against the Hurricanes. Leddy recorded 264 points (57 goals, 207 assists) in 599 games. . Hurricanes D Justin Faulk played in his 500th NHL game on Saturday. Faulk has 231 points (75 goals, 156 assists) in his career. . Hurricanes D Haydn Fleury did not play Saturday after leaving Friday's game against Florida in the third period. The Hurricanes called up defenseman Trevor Carrick from AHL Charlotte to take his place.
UP NEXT
Hurricanes: At Montreal on Tuesday.
Islanders: Home against Washington on Monday.
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