Watch CBS News

Islanders Blank Hurricanes


Josh Green didn't wait long to pay dividends for the New York Islanders.

The 21-year-old left wing broke a scoreless tie with 5:42 left in his first game since being recalled from the minors as New York beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 Wednesday night.

"He had a heck of a hockey game," coach Butch Goring said of Green, who was called up from Lowell, Mass., on Monday and played in his first NHL game this season. "We know he has some skill and some ability to score."

Related Links

Game summary

More NHL features:

  • Enforce-O-Meter rankings
  • Next Generation
  • Exclusive audio
  • After a battle for the puck along the center-ice boards, Olli Jokinen fed Green just over the blue line and his low shot beat Arturs Irbe on the glove side for the game-winner. Defenseman Sean Hill screened Irbe on the shot.

    It was only Green's second goal in 28 career NHL games.

    "We've had some injuries, but we want to reward people who have gone down to the minors and played hard," Goring said. "He gave us a reason to call him back."

    Felix Potvin stopped 25 shots for his 13th career shutout as the Islanders broke a six-game losing streak to the Hurricanes.

    "He has got to be very pleased with the way he's playing because he's back to that all-star form," Goring said of Potvin. "He is giving us a chance to win each and every night."

    Mariusz Czerkawski scored his sixth goal with 50 seconds left to put the game away.

    Carolina, second in the NHL in road points (13), continued to struggle in its new building. The loss dropped the Hurricanes to 1-3 at home, including a pair of shutous.

    "We didn't play well enough to win and in this league if you don't do it you're not going to win," said Carolina's Jeff O'Neill. "They are in last place in our conference and we didn't do what it took to win. If we do that tomorrow night then we'll get beat 6-0. We deserved what we got."

    New York, one of the lowest scoring teams in the league with 26 goals in 13 games, has struggled against Carolina, scoring a combined six goals in the last six meetings. But two was enough Wednesday night.

    The Islanders came into the game tied with Montreal and Pittsburgh for the fewest points (8) in the NHL, but played a solid game on the road against the tight-checking Hurricanes, who beat them 4-0 on Oct. 30 in New York.

    Potvin kept the game scoreless through two periods with a pair of spectacular saves. He stopped Carolina defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn from point-blank range 34 seconds into the second period with a sliding pad save, then was quick to stop a tip-in try by Bates Battaglia 13 minutes later.

    Carolina, tied with Boston as the least penalized team in the NHL, went without a penalty for the first time since a January 1980 loss to the Islanders. It was also the first time in the franchise's 21 years the team has played a penalty-free game at home.

    ©1999 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

    View CBS News In
    CBS News App Open
    Chrome Safari Continue
    Be the first to know
    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.