Stat Trick: Carolina 5, Isles 4

Score 4 goals in regulation and lose? That's unusual. Score 4 goals in a period and lose? That's bizarre. On to the trick.

1. Trailing 2-0 in the 2nd period, the Isles rip off 4 straight goals, only to have Carolina score 9 seconds after goal #4. It's only the third time all season that the Isles have scored four goals in a period.

2. Frans Nielsen, Richard Park, Bruno Gervais and Kyle Okposo had the goals for the Isles. Both Nielsen and Okposo also had assists. It was Gervais' second goal of the month after going 160 games without one.

3. Matt Cullen and Claude LaRose each scored in the first and third periods for Carolina, but it was Tuomo Ruuttu's goal, 9 seconds after Okposo's that turned the momentum in the final seconds of the second period.

....and a few more...

4. Peter Mannino made 32 saves in his 2nd NHL start. Cam Ward had 28 saves as he beat the Isles for a third time this season.

5. Tim Jackman celebrated his contract extension by recording two assists. Joe Covo and Ray Whitney each had three helpers for Carolina.

6. Kyle Okposo extended his point streak to 7 games (5-4-9), while Streit and Park extended their streak to 4 and 3 games respectively. Okposo now has 17 goals to lead the club; one more than Bill Guerin had when he was traded to Pittsburgh.

7. The Hurricanes' two goals in the third hands the Isles their 5th regulation loss in a game they led after 40 minutes. (19-5-3). It's the first time since the 1995-96 season (first year of the Milbury "error") that they've lost 5 games when they led in the second intermission. The Isles have been outscored 93-56 in the third period this season. (Nobody else has allowed more than 78 third period goals.)

8. Eric Staal played in his 400th NHL game. Staal, who played in his 327th consecutive game (2nd longest current streak - Bourwmeester 330), was held off the scorebaord despite having 9 shots on goal. He finished +2.

9. Carolina leads the season series 3 games to 0, winning all three in regulation time. The Isles have lost four games in regulation this season when they've scored 4 goals, all by a 5-4 score. (They've also lost once in OT and once in a shootout by the same score.)

10 Up next: The long road trip (2-2-1) concludes in Ottawa on Saturday night. The Isles beat the Sens three times in November, all in regulation. It's the first time that the Isles have ever won 3 games in one season from Ottawa. Saturday's game will mark the first since the trade that sent Comrie and Campoli to the Sens in exchange for McAmmond and the first round pick Ottawa previously acquired from San Jose.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.