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Islanders facing ‘must-win’ situation already

Carolina Hurricanes v New York Islanders

during their game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on February 11, 2013 in Uniondale, New York.

Al Bello

The New York Islanders gave up a 3-2 second period lead in what was eventually a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Monday.

That marks five straight losses to begin the month of February for the Islanders. In a shortened 48-game schedule, five straight losses, even if early in the season, can prove costly.

“It feels weird to say the next game’s a must-win,” Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic told Long Island Newsday.

“We’ve got to look at it that way. We have to make sure we stop this.”

The Islanders’ losing skid followed up on wins over the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins - the number one and five teams, respectively, in the Eastern Conference.

If there was one positive for the Islanders, it was the four power play goals they tallied.

“We’re the type of team that needs all 20 guys going, and we didn’t have that tonight...I thought some guys were soft,” Islanders head coach Jack Capuano told NHL.com.

“We’ve got to find a way 5-on-5 to generate some offense. Our power play was good, but it’s not going to be there every day.”

Jiri Tlusty tallied four points - all coming in the third period - for Carolina. He tied the game at three goals apiece and added the insurance marker into an empty net with 11 seconds remaining.

“We find a way to (get) the points, which is a big key for our team and we have to keep it rolling,” Tlusty told the Raleigh-based News and Observer.

“Our third period has been really strong. We came out really hard tonight (in the third) and wore the D down. That was the plan.”