Stefan Noesen scored at 3:44 of the period to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders in the NHL playoff series opener on Saturday.
The second game of the first-round series will be on Monday night.
Noesen's goal put Carolina in the lead, and Martin Necas scored an empty-netter with 1:32 remaining. The Hurricanes relied on some key saves from Frederik Andersen to secure the win at home.
Andersen made 34 saves despite the Islanders having more shots on goal. He made a remarkable save midway through the third period and also stopped Noah Dobson's close-range attempt while sitting in the crease.
Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Carolina, converting a power play early in his postseason debut with the team.
Islanders' rookie Kyle MacLean scored in the first period, and Varlamov made 23 saves.
This is the fifth time in six years that the Islanders have made the playoffs, but it was a tough road back. They had a coaching change in January and struggled with a six-game losing streak in mid-March.
However, New York won eight of their last nine games to secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes made the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year and were favored to win the Stanley Cup, as per Bet MGM Sportsbook. This was due to a mostly healthy roster, unlike the past two seasons, and the trade-deadline acquisitions of Jake Guentzel and Kuznetsov.
The Islanders played without center Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who was injured in the regular-season finale. MacLean moved up to the third line as a result. The Hurricanes were without forward Jesper Fast, who suffered a neck strain in their final game against Columbus.
