UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- John Tavares and Brock Nelson each had a goal and an assist, and the New York Islanders began their final home schedule at Nassau Coliseum with a 4-3 victory over Carolina on Saturday night to sweep a season-opening two-game series from the Hurricanes.
Tavares and Nelson powered the Islanders' offense again after they filled the score sheet in a 5-3 win at Carolina on Friday night. Nelson had two goals and two assists in the opener, and Tavares had three assists to jump into 16th place on New York's career scoring list.
Cory Conacher and Josh Bailey added goals for the Islanders, who will move to Brooklyn next season following 42 years on Long Island.
Carolina's Jiri Tlusty scored two power-play goals in the first period and completed his second NHL hat trick with 5:58 left in the third. Alexander Semin had two assists for the Hurricanes, who received 27 saves from backup Anton Khudobin.
Chad Johnson, the backup to Jaroslav Halak, stopped 21 shots to earn his first win with the Islanders.
After scoring two goals in the first period for the second straight night, the Islanders poured it on again in the feisty middle frame to grab a 4-2 lead.
Nine penalties were called in the second -- including a fight between New York's Matt Martin and Carolina's Jay Harrison.
Nelson gave New York a 3-2 lead during a power play when he deflected in a lunging slap shot drive from inside the middle of the blue line by new defenseman Johnny Boychuk at 6:47. The Islanders then capitalized in the closing seconds to forge their first two-goal lead of the night.
The Islanders nudged the puck into the Carolina zone, and Frans Nielsen spotted Josh Bailey driving down the middle and hit him with a pass in the slot from the right circle. Bailey popped it past Khudobin with just 3.5 seconds remaining to make it 4-2.
The Islanders got on track quickly, scoring a power-play goal just 3:50 into the game when Tavares took a cross-zone feed from Nelson near the top of the left circle and snapped a drive past Khudobin for his first of the season and first since Feb. 8, just before his season-ending knee injury at the Olympics.
New York seemed to be energized by the full, vocal crowd. The Islanders were quicker and more engaged early and threatened to jump ahead even more on their second power play of the game at 5:17.
But the Hurricanes found their legs and killed that one, and then quieted the crowd and seemingly grabbed the momentum when Tlusty scored his first 36 seconds into Travis Hamonic's hooking penalty with 5:47 left in the opening period.
Before that goal could be announced to the subdued crowd, the Islanders grabbed the lead again just 31 seconds later.
Kyle Okposo let go a hard drive as he entered the Hurricanes zone at the left point, and Khudobin gloved the puck but fumbled it and dropped it. Tavares got it at the right post, spun and flung a pass across the front of the crease to Conacher, who was alone at the left post for an easy tap-in with 5:47 remaining.
However, New York couldn't carry the advantage into the intermission after Matt Martin was whistled for tripping with 1:04 to go.
Eric Staal took a pass from Alexander Semin in the middle of the right circle and sent a perfect pass to Tlusty at the left post for a redirect into the net with 15.5 seconds left in the first to tie it 2-2.
NOTES: Tavares, who had three assists in the opener on Friday, has 14 goals and 13 assists in 20 games against Carolina. The 27 points are his most against any team. ... The Islanders are 25-12-5 in home openers. ... Tlusty, who had 16 goals last season, had an assist in Friday's loss.
