Barry Trotz believes in the so-called hockey gods who can shift the fate of a closely played game one way or the other. But he has a stronger belief in goal production.
That’s what the Islanders need when they face the Hurricanes in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series on Wednesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina, having scored just once in losing the first two games at Barclays Center.
“Must win, that’s really the only mindset,” defenseman Scott Mayfield said. “Put the puck in the back of the net and get the win.”
The Islanders could be without right wing Cal Clutterbuck, a member of their identity-setting fourth line, after he was helped off the ice late in the third period of the Hurricanes’ 2-1 win in Sunday afternoon’s Game 2.