RALEIGH, N.C. — Barry Trotz said the goal was to keep the Hurricanes “on their toes,” but in the end, it didn’t matter who the Islanders had in nets.
Their season ended with a 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of their second-round series here on Friday night, so the cat-and-mouse game Trotz played before puck-drop seemed inconsequential.
Trotz would not declare who his starting goalie was for the game, with a switch from Robin Lehner to Thomas Greiss a distinct possibility. But he stuck with Lehner — and he lasted just 23:17, giving up three goals on 11 shots before being pulled for Greiss.
Lehner said he never doubted he would start the game, and was never told anything different. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy and the likely winner of the Masterton Trophy, Lehner still has never beaten the Hurricanes, now 0-7-1 lifetime while Greiss had gone 3-1-0 against Carolina in four games against them during the regular season.
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“In this series, goaltending really wasn’t the problem. It was more of the goal scoring,” Trotz said. “I understand Greiss’ record. We knew about it. I’m not going to put the blame on the goaltending, because it wasn’t the problem in this series at all.”
As for being pulled, Lehner understood why it happened with his team looking shellshocked after giving up two goals in 66 seconds early in the second to turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 deficit.
“It’s a coach’s decision, and he’s the best coach in the league,” Lehner said. “It’s hockey.I don’t take that personal.”
Lehner is completing a one-year, $1.5 million deal, and joins a long list of the Islanders’ pending free agents. Also set to become unrestricted on July 1 are captain Anders Lee, along with fellow forwards Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson, and Valtteri Filppula.
Winger Cal Clutterbuck could not play because of his presumed back problem, exacerbated in Game 2 and played through in Game 3.
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“Clutter got hurt earlier in the series, and he played through it all and played well,” Trotz said. “He just couldn’t go today. He was being honest to his teammates and to himself.”
Coming in to make his postseason debut was 22-year-old winger Michael Dal Colle, getting 9:07 of ice time in Clutterbuck’s spot next to Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas.
Trotz juggled the lines, moving Lee down to the third line with Filppula and Anthony Beauvillier, while Leo Komarov went up to play with Josh Bailey and Nelson and Tom Kuhnhackl joined Mat Barzal and Eberle.
“I had to for a couple reasons. I thought [the Hurricanes] were getting the matchups and they were winning the matchups,” Trotz said. “You have to try to mix it up somehow.”