Peters, Hurricanes blank Islanders
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Carolina Hurricanes goalie Justin Peters said he wants to help the club cover for injured teammates.
Posting a shutout might be the best way to do that.
Peters made 21 saves as the Hurricanes topped the New York Islanders 1-0 Thursday night at PNC Arena. Carolina right winger Radek Dvorak's first-period goal was the difference.
"I feel the trust we have in each other is building," Peters said. "It has been growing for quite some time. I want to be there for the guys. I want to make the saves when I have to."
It was the first shutout of the season for the Hurricanes. Peters earned his third career shutout.
The Islanders scored at least two goals in each of their previous 15 games this season. They managed only one shot on goal during a third-period power play.
"We have to hit the net and make second and third opportunities," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "We didn't do that."
Both teams have 6-7-3 records. Carolina has wins in back-to-back games for only the second time this season.
Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin made 23 saves.
Peters played his seventh consecutive game. He began the season third on the depth chart, playing in the American Hockey League for the Charlotte Checkers. Injuries to goalies Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin forced the Hurricanes to turn to Peters, a 27-year-old who has been unable to stick at the NHL level.
"He has had some ups and downs," Hurricanes center Jordan Staal said. "But when we (do what we're supposed to do), he makes it look easy. We're more confident in him than ever before."
Carolina coach Kirk Muller said the support in front of Peters was efficient.
"We did a good job of getting to a lot of shots," Muller said. "We blocked a lot of shots. Right now, it's just finding a way to win a game."
The Hurricanes have scored a total of five goals in five games.
"We need to score more than one or two goals, but it's nice that we don't have to (and can still win)," Muller said.
Dvorak, in his second game back from injured reserve, redirected the puck into the net after Poulin left the crease for a better angle on defenseman Ron Hainsey's delivery. The tally came at 6:39 of the opening period.
Dvorak, an 18-year NHL veteran in his first season with the Hurricanes, was scoreless since finding the net in each of the first two games of the season. Hainsey's only two assists in 16 games came in the past two games.
"It was a hard game," Dvorak said. "Good play from everybody."
The Islanders, without a power-play goal in their previous five games, went 0-for-3 with an extra skater. They are 0-for-21 on power plays in a six-game stretch.
The Hurricanes shut out their opponent across the first two periods for the second game in a row. This time, they completed the task. They beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday.
Poulin was playing for only the second time in five games.
"Kevin battled for us. That's what he does," Capuano said. "He deserved to win that hockey game. We just have to find the back of the net when we get the opportunity."
The 21 shots for the Islanders represented their third-lowest total of the season.
NOTES: The Hurricanes scored the first goal in a game for the first time since Oct. 19, when they played the Islanders the initial time this season. ... D Aaron Ness was recalled earlier in the day from AHL Bridgeport and was in the lineup for the Islanders. RW Colin McDonald played for the first time in six games. ... D Matt Carkner and RW Cal Clutterbuck (upper-body injury) were scratched for the Islanders. ... The Hurricanes recalled LW Chris Terry from Charlotte, sending down C Elias Lindholm, a first-round draft pick last summer, to the AHL club. ... Windsor, Ontario, natives LW Matt Martin of the Islanders and D Brett Bellemore of the Hurricanes hooked up in a second-period fight. ... A season-low announced crowd of 11,541 was on hand. ... The Islanders play the third of four consecutive road games on Saturday against the Blue Jackets in Columbus, Ohio. ... The Hurricanes play the third game of their five-game homestand on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.
