"Best losers in the league" "Just not talented enough" - Isles fans dejected as New York Islanders eliminated from playoffs after Game 5 loss

The New York Islanders were eliminated from the 2023-2024 Stanley Cup playoffs after losing Game 5 of their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

The 6-3 defeat left Islanders fans dejected and lamenting their team's lack of talent compared to opponents.

One fan commented,

"Arguably the best losers in the league."

Another fan summed it up more bluntly tweeting,

"Just not talented enough."

Here are some fan reactions to the Islanders' 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes:

"You guys played hard... I bet a full year with Patrick Roy will make your team stronger. You didn't have a chance to make the playoffs and you still got there... That's not nothing". one fan wrote on X.

"why did we even bother dragging it out another game." another fan wrote.

"Played a hell of a game. Lost to some insane bounces. Boys fought hard let’s have a good offseason" a user wrote.

"I’m just happy they scored 3 goals…impressive". another user wrote.

The Hurricanes wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Teuvo Teravainen opening the scoring into the first period, followed by a power-play goal from Andrei Svechnikov minutes later.

Despite a brief resurgence from the New York Islanders, with goals from Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson, the Hurricanes maintained their lead thanks to Evgeny Kuznetsov's penalty shot goal and Jack Drury's timely tally in the third period. The Islanders managed to tie the game at 3-3 late in the second period.

“I really thought that was the turning point in the game," New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. "And then a couple of bad bounces ... and we had our chances.”

Jack Drury, Stefan Noesen, and Seth Jarvis scored goals in the third period, bringing the score to 6-3 in favor of the Hurricanes.

Patrick Roy laments New York Islanders 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes

Despite keeping the game close through two periods, the Hurricanes pulled away in the third to eliminate the Islanders.

New York Islanders coach Patrick Roy expressed frustration over the outcome, saying,

"I feel like we deserve better. I'm not saying we should have won the series. But we could easily play Game No. 6. Instead it's over. So it feels empty that I thought we did better than what we got in return."

The Islanders battled hard all season to reach the playoffs as an underdog team and forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau noted the team's efforts after the deflating loss.

"Nobody kind of saw us in the playoffs. We battled and made our way there. A lot of people didn’t see us winning a game against Carolina. We did and I thought we gave them a good shot."

Although the superior Hurricanes team prevailed in the end Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour acknowledged the tough fight put on by the Islanders.

"They just kept coming. We had to play really well to win this series."

Carolina will be up against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference semifinals next.