RALEIGH, N.C. — In the end, the Islanders were beaten at their own game. And it ended their season.
From sweep to swept, the Islanders were taken out with a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the hard-working Hurricanes in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series here on Friday night. So after the Isles took out the Penguins in four games in the first round, they lasted only another four, with Carolina sharper from the start of the series until the end.
With 10 days between series, the Islanders became the first team since the 1993 Sabres to sweep a first-round series then get swept in the next round.