Jankowski lifts Hurricanes past Islanders to clinch Eastern Conference top spot

Mark Jankowski broke a third-period tie and lifted the Carolina Hurricanes past the New York Islanders 2-1 at UBS Arena, a result that locked Carolina into first place in the Eastern Conference and completed a regular season that now has to be judged through playoff expectations, not just standings.

The Hurricanes finished 53-22-7 and ended the season on a five-game point streak, going 4-0-1 down the stretch. The win secured home-ice advantage through the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and gave Carolina what NHL.com called the franchise’s first-ever conference title, a milestone that changes the pressure as much as the bracket.

Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game, continuing a first season in Carolina that ended with a career-high 71 points, including 26 goals and 45 assists. Felix Unger Sorum set up that goal and earned his first NHL point in his debut, while defenseman Ronan Seeley also made his NHL debut. Brandon Bussi stopped 28 shots to finish the night in goal after Pyotr Kochetkov was unavailable because of a roster technicality, leaving Thomas Sullivan as Carolina’s backup.

Jankowski’s goal was his 11th of the season and gave him 21 points, including 11 goals and 10 assists. He finished with three goals in his last three games, a late burst that underlined Carolina’s depth beyond its headline scorers and veteran playoff core.

The Islanders answered late in the second period when Bo Horvat tied the game with his 300th career goal, but David Rittich turned aside only 19 shots and New York could not recover. The Islanders finished 44-33-5 with 91 points, were swept 3-0 by Carolina in the season series and missed the playoffs for the second straight year, despite a nine-point improvement over last season’s 82-point finish.

For Carolina, the final score mattered less than the message. A team that earned its 111th point before the finale and was projected to open the postseason against either Boston or Ottawa now carries home-ice advantage, a five-game point streak and the kind of seeding that turns a strong roster into a legitimate Cup measuring stick. The question entering the playoffs is no longer whether the Hurricanes belong in the race, but whether this top seed reflects a team built to finish it.