Drury, Noesen help Hurricanes beat Islanders 6-3 to clinch NHL playoff 1st-round series in 5 games

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — This time, the Carolina Hurricanes didn't miss their chance to close out the New York Islanders on home ice.

Jack Drury scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Stefan Noesen cleaned up a fluky puck bounce off the boards for another one 8 seconds later as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 6-3 on Tuesday night, clinching their first-round NHL playoff series in five games.

The Hurricanes missed a chance to sweep the Islanders in a double-overtime loss over the weekend, then twice held two-goal leads before entering the final 20 minutes in a 3-3 tie.

“They just kept coming," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We had to play really well to win this series.”

And that earned the Hurricanes a date with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers in the second round.

Drury scored his first career postseason goal by controlling a dribbling puck that bounced by Jean-Gabriel Pageau, then zipping it past Semyon Varlamov to his blocker side at 4:36 of the third. Then, after a faceoff win, the Hurricanes dumped the puck ahead toward the corner. But as Varlamov went behind the net to play the puck, it took an unexpected bounce and caromed straight into the left post, then popped forward into the crease.

Noesen charged in to bury it as Varlamov tried desperately to get back to the netfront, pushing Carolina to a 5-3 lead at 4:44.

That was ultimately enough to help the Hurricanes finally push past the determined Islanders, becoming the first team to win at least one playoff series in six straight postseasons since Detroit did it from 1995-2000.

“They play the right way, they play hard, but we got the job done,” said Drury, who centered the third line in this one after starting this series as a fourth-line winger. “I think we stayed resilient, too, and it was a good bounceback in the third.”

Carolina jumped to a 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven series before missing out on a chance to clinch in Saturday's double-overtime road loss. That set up a familiar scenario from last year, when the Islanders won Game 5 here to extend that first-round series before falling in six games.

This time, Carolina closed it out even after a tense vibe entering those final 20 minutes. By the end, though, Seth Jarvis had added an empty-net clincher at the 18:21 mark to let Hurricanes fans stay in a celebratory roar to close this one out.

“We knew we — I don't want to say, let off the gas — but we let them kind of crawl back into it in the second. ... We have so many good veterans," Jarvis said. "They kept us calm, we never really got flustered. They made sure we knew what was at stake and just came out in the third and executed."

Noesen’s bizarre goal captured some of the wild action, which included New York’s Casey Cizikas scoring in the final seconds of the second on an unguarded net. Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen stumbled as he scrambled to his right after a stop and fell untouched out of the crease.

Carolina scored twice and rang the post in the opening 3 1/2 minutes and twice led by two goals while coach Patrick Roy said his team “got dominated” in an opening period that included being outshot 21-4. But the Islanders climbed all the way back and tie it at 3 on Cizikas' score to enter the final period.

“I really thought that was the turning point in the game," Roy said. "And then a couple of bad bounces ... and we had our chances.”

Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov scored in that opening blitz from Carolina, while Evgeny Kuznetsov scored on a penalty shot — a wait-wait-wait move as he skated in slowly before snapping it past Varlamov when he went for the pokecheck — for the 3-1 lead in the first.

Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson also scored for the Islanders, who won eight of their last nine games to clinch a playoff bid in the waning days of the regular season. That came after a January coaching change with the firing of Lane Lambert to hire Roy.

Carolina entered the playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup according to Bet MGM Sportsbook, but the Islanders gave the Hurricanes fits the entire way. That included outplaying Carolina for much of the Game 1 loss, then blowing a 3-0 lead by giving up the tying and go-ahead goals 9 seconds apart in the final 3 minutes of Game 2.

Ultimately, another improbably quick burst helped finish off the Islanders.

“I’m not saying we should have won the series,” Roy said. "I’m saying we could go home right now and play Game No. 6 easily. Instead, it’s over. So it feels empty in the way that I thought we did a lot better than what we got in return.”

Carolina defenseman Tony DeAngelo, pressed into duty due to a lower-body injury to Brett Pesce from Game 2, exited late in this one with an upper-body injury after an uncalled slash. Brind'Amour said DeAngelo was having X-rays but had no other update.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy watches from the bench during the third period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes shake hands following the Hurricanes win at the NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jack Drury (18) celebrates his game winning goal against the New York Islanders during the third period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Hudson Fasching (20) tries to moves the puck around Carolina Hurricanes' Brady Skjei (76) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes celebrate a goal by Andrei Svechnikov during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) celebrates his goal with Sebastian Aho (20) as New York Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck (15) skates by during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Kyle Palmieri (21) congratulates Brock Nelson (29) on his goal during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Evgeny Kuznetsov (92) shoots a penalty shot puck past New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour talks with an official during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) watches the puck controlled by Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) controls the puck against the New York Islanders during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Bo Horvat (14) celebrates a goal by teammate Casey Cizikas, not pictured, during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jake Guentzel (59) chases the puck controlled by Carolina Hurricanes' Jake Guentzel (59) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Tony DeAngelo (77) and goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) tangle with New York Islanders' Anders Lee (27) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Anders Lee (27) collides with Carolina Hurricanes' Brady Skjei (76) and goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jalen Chatfield (5) battles with New York Islanders' Anders Lee (27) for the puck during the first period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers began their on-field work in the offseason with a surprise participant and a predictable absence.

Star pass rusher Nick Bosa took part in the voluntary portion of the offseason for a change after spending previous seasons working out on his own in Florida, while receiver Brandon Aiyuk remains away from the team as part of a contract dispute.

“It’s something that’s part of the business," coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday about Aiyuk's absence. “Anytime it’s part of the business part, you try to respect it. Stay out of as much as possible and look forward to the days when you can just focus on football.”

Bosa skipped last year's voluntary workouts as he sought a new contract, and spent most of the 2021 and 2022 offseasons back home in Florida, after missing the 2021 offseason rehabilitating a knee injury and the 2020 offseason because of the pandemic.

Bosa said Shanahan called him earlier in the offseason to ask him to come to the voluntary practices this year after the Niners added several new linemen in free agency and hired a new coordinator in Nick Sorensen.

“I think it’s just good to get around the new guys,” Bosa said. “We have a lot of new faces this year. Just kind of helping the new guys out. I don’t think there’s really been much of a normal offseason for me in terms of we had COVID, we had my injury and the contract situation. It’s kind of a new year. I want to be around. It’s good to be around.”

Aiyuk is in a similar spot to where Bosa was last year when he was looking for a new contract that finally came following a lengthy holdout that ended just a few days before the start of the regular season.

Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants a long-term contract that would pay him significantly more money based on his production so far in his career. Several of the top receivers have contracts in the $25 million a year range.

Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.

Aiyuk has 269 catches for 3,931 yards and 25 TDs in four seasons since being drafted 25th overall in 2020, but has taken off since Purdy became quarterback.

“He’s a playmaker,” Purdy said. “I love throwing to him. Love BA as a person. It’s definitely important. But it’s out of my control. For me, I’m showing up every day trying to get better with the new guys and the guys that are here.”

Aiyuk wasn't the only notable absence with All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Jauan Jennings among those not taking part in the practices this week. New defensive tackle Maliek Collins is also not on hand but does plan to join the team after his kids finish their school year.

Williams typically works out on his own in Texas during this portion of the offseason and Jennings can't practice until he signs his restricted free agent tender. Shanahan gave no reason for why McCaffrey did not attend.

Several other key players aren't taking part in on-field work as they recover from injuries or surgeries, including tight end George Kittle, cornerback Charvarius Ward, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, center Jake Brendel and defensive end Drake Jackson.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, left, throws a pass in front of assistant quarterbacks coach Klay Kubiak during NFL football practice in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, left, talks with fullback Kyle Juszczyk (44) and linebacker Fred Warner during NFL football practice in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Francisco 49ers' Yetur Gross-Matos (94), Nick Bosa (97) and teammates wait to run drills during NFL football practice in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)