CHRIS SEWARD - cseward@newsobserver.com
The Carolina Hurricanes' Cam Ward (30) snags a shot out of the air in front of teammate Jiri Tlusty (19) and New York Islanders' Matt Martin (17) and Josh Bailey (12) during the first period of an NHL game played Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012, between the Canes and the Isles at the RBC Center in Raleigh.
RALEIGH -- For a long time Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes couldn’t find a way to get the puck past a 21-year-old goalie who was playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers last week.
The Canes finally found a way to beat unheralded Kevin Poulin, only to be beaten by a player everyone in the NHL knows all too well: All-Star forward John Tavares.
After the Canes rallied for a pair of goals in the third period to tie the score, Tavares ripped a shot past Canes goalie Cam Ward with 12:24 left in regulation and the Islanders won 5-2 at the RBC Center.
Tavares had two goals and an assist, scoring an empty netter in the final minute.
The Canes’ Brandon Sutter and Tim Brent scored in the third period, Brent on Carolina’s first power play of the game, for a 2-2 tie. The RBC Center was rumbling.
Not for long. Ward left the crease to play the puck, instead fanning on it. Tavares was open on the right side, taking a pass from Matt Moulson to score his 21st goal of the season.
It was the first game for both teams after a lengthy break for the NHL All-Star Game, and the Isles were the sharper of the two until the final period.
New York scored power-play goals in each of the first two periods – from P.A. Parenteau and Moulson – and Poulin made the most of his third NHL start of the season after being recalled Monday from the Isles’ American Hockey League affiliate. Kyle Okposo scored an empty-netter with 83 seconds left.
Canes defenseman Jay Harrison picked up the first of two penalties in the period at 5:14, batting a puck over the glass for delay of game. Parenteau smoked a top-shelf shot to Ward's glove side for the first goal at 5:49.
Tavares, fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, earned his 30th assist and 50th point of the season for the Isles on Parenteau’s goal.
Rookie center Riley Nash of the Canes was called for hooking with 4:27 left in the second period. The Isles made it 2-0 when Moulson scored his 23rd of the season at 16:19.
The Canes' Eric Staal got a piece of a shot by Mark Streit, but Moulson was in the right spot at the right time. The puck settled between the circles and Moulson put a spinning backhander toward the net that beat Ward to the stick side.
The Canes came into the game wanting to put early pressure on Isles goalie Kevin Poulin, who was playing in his third NHL game of the season. Poulin, 21, was called up Monday from Bridgeport of the AHL and making his first start since a Jan. 16 game against Nashville.
Poulin got the job done in the first, denying Jeff Skinner in front of the crease, then making a pad save when Brandon Sutter broke in alone.
Harrison was called for tripping with 2:34 left in the first. The Canes killed off the penalty and appeared set to tie the score in the final seconds of the period.
Tlusty grabbed the puck near the Isles blue line and had a two-on-one rush with Staal on the left side. Tlusty made a nice setup to Staal, but Poulin pushed across the crease to get his pad on Staal's attempt.
