It only took the Carolina Hurricanes five games to eliminate Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Islanders' season ended Tuesday night with a 6-3 Game 5 loss after a third-period collapse in North Carolina.
Barzal assisted twice as the Islanders recovered from an early deficit to head into the final frame with the score tied.
The Islanders then allowed two goals in eight seconds.
The late collapse disappointed Islanders fans, especially after New York blew a three-goal lead earlier in the series while losing Game 2 to the Hurricanes:
The elimination loss was particularly painful after fans watched former Islanders captain John Tavares set up a game-winning overtime goal, keeping the Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff hopes alive in their own series against the Boston Bruins, the same night:
To add insult to injury, the New York Knicks also lost in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers, squandering a chance to close out their own first-round series in five games.