Noesen, Andersen help Hurricanes push past Islanders 3-1 to open 1st-round NHL playoff series

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Stefan Noesen grabbed a loose puck atop the crease and pushed it past Semyon Varlamov early in the third period to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 3-1 on Saturday to open their NHL playoff series.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 first-round series is Monday night.

Noesen's collect-and-finish score at 3:44 of the period finally pushed Carolina into the lead, then Martin Necas added an empty-net clincher from beyond the blue line with 1:32 to go. Those capped a grinding outing for the Hurricanes, who needed plenty of big stops from Frederik Andersen to hang on at home.

Andersen finished with 34 saves and was under a steady bit of pressure with the Islanders finishing with a nine-shot advantage. His stops included a wild one midway through the third when he fell backward after the puck pinged the post, then batted down Noah Dobson's skating-in finishing attempt while essentially seated in the crease.