New York Islanders left wing Matt Martin celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes with center Brock Nelson, center Kyle Palmieri, defenseman Alexander Romanov and defenseman Scott Mayfield. Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports

Late goal flurry helps Islanders break longstanding NHL mark

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 4/21/23

The New York Islanders topped a unique NHL mark in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the third period, the Islanders scored four goals in two minutes and 18 seconds en route to a blowout win. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Islanders' goal-scoring flurry was the fastest four-goal span by a team in Stanley Cup playoff history, topping the previous mark of two minutes, 35 seconds set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1944.

Knotted up at one apiece, Kyle Palmieri scored the go-ahead goal at 16:09 of the third, giving the Islanders a 2-1 advantage late.

Only 44 seconds later, Matt Martin scored, putting the Islanders ahead by two with 3:07 left in the third.

THE ISLANDERS SCORED TWICE IN 44 SECONDS pic.twitter.com/yEhZa4enUN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 22, 2023

New York waited a while to post another tally, as Scott Mayfield found an empty net 1:18 later to seal the victory. Although seemingly unsatisfied, Anders Lee added another goal for good measure, scoring at 18:27, capping off a massive win for the Islanders.

Anders Lee adds onto the Islanders lead with a redirect tally after Mayfield's empty netter, 5-1 Isles!#Isles pic.twitter.com/2V1OxASTwf
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) April 22, 2023

While the Islanders' wave of offense was the story, goaltender Ilya Sorokin was rock-solid between the pipes. Sorokin kept New York in the game, ending the night with 30 saves.

The Islanders staved off a 3-0 hole on Friday, moving to within a win of evening up the series with Carolina. New York will look to tie things up 2-2 when they host the Hurricanes for Game 4 Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

More must-reads: