Sun Oct 28 01:21:32 2007

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Brind'Amour scores three as Hurricanes tear through Islanders

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Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Rod Brind'Amour tallied a hat trick and added an assist, as the Carolina Hurricanes pummeled the New York Islanders, 8-3, at Nassau Coliseum.

Ray Whitney added two goals and an assist, and Justin Williams also scored twice for the Hurricanes, who have won three of four and recovered from Friday's 7-4 home loss to Montreal.

Erik Cole and Matt Cullen each had three assists, and John Grahame had 28 saves for Carolina to post his first win of the season.

Rick DiPietro allowed six goals on 14 shots, and was pulled in favor of Wade Dubielewicz, who let in two more goals on 12 shots. Ruslan Fedotenko, Marc- Andre Bergeron, and Mike Sillinger scored for the Islanders, who had won two straight entering the game.

It took the Hurricanes a little less than three minutes to take the lead in the first period. Jeff Hamilton passed from the left circle to Brind'Amour, who one-timed a shot past DiPietro.

Whitney scored at 9:25 of the first period to double the Carolina lead, and then Brind'Amour struck again to make it 3-0. This time, parked in front of the right post, Brind'Amour slammed in the rebound of a Dennis Seidenberg shot with 5:48 left in the first.

Whitney's second tally of the game, just 1:17 into the second period, gave the Hurricanes a 4-0 lead.

Fedotenko finally stemmed the onslaught a little more than a minute later, as his third of the season brought the Islanders within three goals. The break was short-lived, though, as Williams scored at 4:36, and Carolina's lead was back to 5-1.

Eric Staal tallied his ninth goal of the season at 7:48 of the second period, pushing the Carolina lead to 6-1. Bergeron scored on the power play with 9:33 left to cut the Hurricanes lead to 6-2.

Brind'Amour clinched the hat trick with a power-play score 3:23 into the final period, making it a 7-2 game for the vistors. Williams' second goal, just 21 seconds later, gave Carolina a six-goal pad.

Sillinger's first goal of the season in the waning seconds of regulation made it an 8-3.

Game Notes

New York outshot the Hurricanes, 31-26...It was Brind'Amour's third career hat trick...Despite a second-place standing in the Atlantic Division, the Islanders have given up eight goals twice already this season, the previous time an 8-1 loss at Toronto on October 11.