The Carolina Hurricanes love playing the New York Islanders. Especially Jaccob Slavin.
The crew from Raleigh pummeled the home team in Brooklyn on Monday, beating the Islanders for the third time this season, and - again - scoring at will.
The first meeting between the Hurricanes and Islanders was a 7-4 final for Carolina, the second was a 5-4 overtime Carolina win, and the Hurricanes exploded for eight goals Monday in an 8-4 victory.
It's a brutal and costly loss for the Islanders, who went into the game trailing the Toronto Maple Leafs by a point for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Isles are now tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who won across the river in Manhattan.
As for Carolina, the club has now scored 20 goals against the Islanders in only three games, a crazy 11.7 percent of their 170 goals on the season.
Slavin, the second-year Hurricanes defender, went into the game with two goals on the season, and he did one better, recording the first hat trick of his career. He had four NHL goals ahead of Monday's game.
The teams will meet again Tuesday in Carolina. The Hurricanes - and Slavin - can't wait.
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