Winless Islanders have Maurice edgy

The Hurricanes are leaving today for a three-game road trip, with the first game Wednesday against the winless New York Islanders (0-3-3). Which, in turn, makes Canes coach Paul Maurice more than a little edgy. "Especially when you go back and watch the games that they've played," he said today. "They've worked their butts off and they have some high-end young talent there." That includes forward John Tavares, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL Draft. Tavares has done his part with three goals and four assists andis tied for the team lead in points. "They deserved to win two, maybe three of the games they've played and just got some strange breaks and bounces," Maurice said. "That happens to young teams until they catch fire, and then watch out. "It's not like we're 12 or 15 points ahead of them. So I think you're going to see two teams come out with a snarl. If we play our butts off, we have...