Mark Jankowski scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Islanders 2-1 on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Carolina, and Brandon Bussi made 28 saves.
The Hurricanes closed the regular season with four wins in their final five games and finished atop the Eastern Conference.
Felix Unger Sorum celebrates after scoring a goal on David Rittich during the first period of the Islanders’ season-ending 2-1 loss to the Hurricanes on April 14, 2026 at UBS Arena. Corey Sipkin for New York Post Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders, David Rittich stopped 19 shots and the Islanders lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Ehlers opened the scoring at 3:05 of the first period and finished his first season in Carolina with a career-high 71 points (26 goals, 45 assists). Felix Unger Sorum assisted on the goal in his NHL debut.
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Horvat tied it 1-all late in the second period, finishing a feed from Mathew Barzal with less than seven minutes remaining. Victor Eklund, also making his NHL debut, had an assist.
Pyotr Kochetkov was slated to start and took warmups but was unavailable due to a roster technicality.
He has been activated from injured reserve and will be eligible for the playoffs, according to the team. Emergency backup goaltender Thomas Sullivan served as Carolina’s backup.
