Aho, Martinook cap Hurricanes' late rally to beat the Islanders for a 2-0 playoff series lead

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes were down big at home in the NHL playoffs, playing desperate hockey full of withering long shifts in the offensive zone as they tried to rally.

They fought back long enough to give themselves a chance — then Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook pounced to complete an improbable comeback that will linger in franchise lore.

Aho scored the tying goal late in the third period, followed by Martinook with the winner 9 seconds later as the Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 5-3 on Monday night, turning a three-goal deficit into a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series in unlikely fashion.

“It was a special night for sure,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “It's one of those games that we'll probably look back on for a long time.”

Aho struck first by redirecting Andrei Svechnikov's shot at the right post behind Semyon Varlamov with 2:15 remaining to tie the game at 3. After an Islanders giveaway on the ensuing faceoff, Martinook raced down to beat Noah Dobson to the puck along the boards and then pushed it toward the same post with a wraparound attempt from behind the net.

The puck banged off Varlamov's left skate and slipped into the net for the 4-3 lead with 2:06 to go, sending the Hurricanes players mobbing a jumping Martinook amid a roof-blowing roar from a shocked home crowd.

“Just the momentum of us tying the game, and the energy that it sends — I don't really know how to describe it, you get a whole juice that just hits you,” Martinook said of his puck-chasing charge.

The Islanders could only lament one that got away, even amid Carolina's long-running surge taking momentum.

“Just 30 seconds, not even, you'd like to have back,” Islanders forward Brock Nelson said.

Teuvo Teravainen and Seth Jarvis each scored to help push Carolina back in contention, then Jake Guentzel added an empty-net score in the final minute to seal the win. This one ended with frustrations flaring for the Islanders, several scrums between the teams and multiple players taking early trips to the locker room.

The series shifts north for the next two games, with Game 3 set for Thursday night.

The Hurricanes won 3-1 in Saturday's series opener, pushing ahead for good in a tough third-period push. This time, once they started their comeback climb, they relentlessly kept coming on the forecheck and at Varlamov, even having Aho and Jarvis ring the posts late in the second and then Guentzel in the third.

They never stopped, either.

“I think the last probably eight minutes of the second period, we were in their zone and it felt like we were starting to take the game over,” Martinook said. "Then in the third period, you ride that momentum that you built in the second and just try to keep it going.

“I felt in the third, it was just wave after wave. We were coming at them, and we didn't give them anything, which is key.”

Indeed, the Islanders had more misconduct penalties in the final 56 seconds (six) than shots on goal in the entire third period (one).

That was part of a brutal finish for the Islanders, who used goals from Kyle Palmieri, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee — the last being a forehand-to-backhand finish atop the crease on the power play — to take a 3-0 lead early in the second period. And that had them poised to earn a split after the Game 1 loss that still left Islanders coach Patrick Roy encouraged by his team’s play.

Instead, New York unraveled in crushing fashion, starting with Varlamov taking a tripping penalty on Stefan Noesen to put Carolina on a power play. Teravainen converted on the man advantage by finishing a feed from Guentzel at 13:01 of the second, breathing life back into a stunned-silent arena.

Jarvis buried a cross-ice feed from Jordan Staal to bring Carolina to within 3-2 at 10:43 of the third and set up the Aho-Martinook game-changing sequence.

“Obviously they took charge of the game with the penalties and then they took advantage of their power play to score that one goal,” Roy said, “And then they got some momentum.”

The Hurricanes finished with a 39-12 shot advantage, with Varlamov facing 16 in the final period alone before finishing with 34 saves. New York also had a goal waived off when Kyle McLean's Jarvis-answering redirect past Andersen came with his stick high in the air.

Andersen finished with nine saves for Carolina, which lost veteran defenseman Brett Pesce to a lower-body injury in the second period.

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

Carolina Hurricanes' Jake Guentzel (59) congratulates Teuvo Teravainen (86) on his goal during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy speaks at a news conference following Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour speaks at a news conference following Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Kyle Palmieri (21) scuffles with Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho, bottom right, during the closing minutes of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20), with teammate Brady Skjei (76) nearby, celebrates after his tying goal during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) celebrates after his winning goal against the New York Islanders during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook (48) celebrates after his winning goal with teammates Jack Drury (18), Jordan Staal (11) and Brent Burns (8) during the third period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Brent Burns (8) tries to stop the puck as it slips by goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) as New York Islanders' Kyle Palmieri (21) watches his goal during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) has the shot by New York Islanders' Bo Horvat (14) bounce off his facemask during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Kyle Palmieri (21) shoots the puck at Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen (31) clears the puck in front of New York Islanders' Bo Horvat (14) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) catches the shot of Carolina Hurricanes' Sebastian Aho (20) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Stefan Noesen (23) exchanges blows with New York Islanders' Kyle MacLean (32) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Stefan Noesen (23) exchanges blows with New York Islanders' Kyle MacLean (32) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

The New York Islanders celebrate a goal by Bo Horvat (14) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

New York Islanders' Brock Nelson (29) moves the puck after taking it from Carolina Hurricanes' Dmitry Orlov (7) during the first period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Staal (11) battles with New York Islanders' Noah Dobson (8) for the puck during the second period in Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of people laid flowers and lit candles on Friday to commemorate the victims of Serbia's first-ever school shooting a year ago that left nine children and a school guard dead and six people wounded.

A somber, silent queue formed on a rainy day outside the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in central Belgrade where a 13-year-old boy is accused of opening fire at his schoolmates with his father's guns last year.

The shooting stunned Serbia. The Balkan nation was no stranger to violent crime, but mass shootings are rare, and none had taken place at a school before.

Just a day later, a shooting rampage outside the capital further shocked the country. A 20-year-old man was accused of killing nine and wounding 12 others, mostly young people.

Friday's vigil formally started at 8:41 a.m., the time of the school shooting last year. Serbian television stations interrupted their broadcasts, showing the text “We remember” on a black screen.

The all-day event near the school also included art installations, a panel discussion and short films about the victims. The street where the school is located is closed to traffic.

The event was titled “Awakening,” a call for introspection in a nation that is yet to come to terms with its role in multiple wars in the 1990s and the culture of violence that has prevailed ever since.

Ninela Radicevic, a mother of a victim, told The Associated Press ahead of the anniversary that society and the government had “rushed to forget” the tragedy. Radicevic, who lost her 11-year-old daughter Ana Bozovic in the shooting, said she hoped Serbia can prevent such a horrific crime from happening again.

"We have missed many chances to react better... (but) I think it is never too late to pause ... and to try not to make the same mistakes in the future," said psychology professor Aleksandar Baucal, who is part of a team behind the commemoration.

The slain children’s parents have fought to have the school closed and turned into a memorial center. They've organized protests, remembrance events and testified about their ordeal to promote awareness among the public.

Serbia’s populist government launched a gun crackdown after the shooting, collecting about 80,000 weapons and rounds of ammunition. State-backed support teams offered counseling and police officers were deployed outside schools for security.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Instagram after paying respects Friday that the “unthinkable tragedy has left a permanent scar on the soul of our entire nation.”

Suspects in both of the shootings were apprehended. The alleged school shooter's parents went on trial in January, charged with teaching their underage son to shoot and with not securing the weapons at the family home. The trial is continuing. The boy has been held in an institution since the attack.

The trial of the other suspect and his father is to start later this month in the central town of Smederevo.

Shock and anger because of the shootings triggered months of street protests demanding the resignations of top officials and a ban on media that spew hate speech and intolerance.

People cry in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A man stands in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school prior to a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People cry in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People stand in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school prior to a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A woman stands in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school prior to a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A man stands in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school prior to a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People gather in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

People cry in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school during a memorial ceremony to mark the first anniversary of a shooting that killed 10 people in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)