Islanders Face Hurricanes In Postseason Rematch
This is a first of a back-to-back.
ELMONT, NY — After dropping their matchup with the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, the New York Islanders (9-11-7) kickoff a weekend back-to-back in a postseason rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes (17-8-1).
Puck drop from UBS Arena is set for 5:00 p.m., and the game can be found on MSGSN.
In the regular season, the Islanders and Hurricanes split their season series. The Islanders let a 3-0 lead slip away in their first matchup at home but won a seesaw affair in Carolina in their second meeting. New York once again knocked off the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Dec. 23, but Carolina salvaged the split on March 19 at UBS Arena.
The two teams met in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, with Carolina besting the Islanders in five games. The Islanders’ lone win of the series came in Game 4 on Long Island.
Patrick Roy made a few lines changes.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
Tsyplakov-Horvat-Pageau
Lee-Nelson-Palmieri
Holmstrom-Cizikas-Wahlstrom
Martin-MacLean-Fasching
Romanov-Pulock
George-Dobson
Cholowski-Mayfield
Sorokin
Hogberg
WHO’S HOT:
Anders Lee enters Saturday’s game on a four-game point streak. The Islanders captain has three goals and four assists for seven points in that span. Among active Islanders, he was tied with Brock Nelson for most points in their playoff series with four.
Ryan Pulock recorded his 200th NHL point in Thursday’s game. The defenseman has 48 goals and 152 assists to reach the milestone across 513 games, all with the Islanders.
Kyle Palmieri has points in the last three regular-season games against the Hurricanes. In that span, he has two goals and two assists. He also sits one point shy of 500 for his NHL career.
Bo Horvat has a four-game point streak against Carolina excluding the playoffs.
Across their regular season meetings last season, he had two red lights and four helpers.
Nelson leads active Islanders in goals and points against the Hurricanes, totaling 14 and 27, respectively, in 37 games. Lee has the most assists against Carolina with 16 in 34 meetings with them.
Ilya Sorokin left the ice first on Friday, making him likely to start this evening. Sorokin was pulled in the second period of Thursday’s game with four goals against on 13 shots.
Against Carolina, he is 3-5-1 with a 3.14 GAA and .908 SV%, most recently surrendering three goals on 33 shots in a loss in his last matchup in the regular season.
Playoffs included, he is 5-10-1 with a 3.03 GAA and .911 SV%, and his last game against Carolina was Game 3 of April’s playoff matchup, where he allowed three goals on 14 shots before being relieved.
OPPONENT’S NOTES:
Andrei Svechnikov was the star of the show for the Hurricanes against the Colorado Avalanche. The forward recorded a goal and three assists as the game’s first star.
Eric Robinson has been a surprise for Carolina to kick off the season. After spending seven seasons between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres, he has eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.
Seth Jarvis was the top offensive weapon in their playoff series last year. In their five-game series, the forward recorded three goals and four assists for seven points.
Martin Necas recorded a point in all four regular season matchups against the Islanders, recording a goal and four assists. In the postseason, he recorded a red light and four helpers for five points, averaging a point per game.
Jordan Staal leads the Hurricanes in offensive output against the Islanders. Carolina’s captain has 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points in 76 games.
Pyotr Kochetkov will start for the Hurricanes. He earned the win against the Avalanche in his last start out, stopping 16-of-19 shots in the victory. Against the Islanders, he is 3-1-1 with a 2.71 GAA but .879 SV% in the regular season, most recently making 30 saves in a winning effort. He sat behind Frederik Andersen in their postseason matchup.
PREGAME READING:
Islanders Have No Excuse To Come Out Flat Against Playoff Rival Hurricanes - THN
Islanders Are Discovering A Few Things Amidst Injuries, Struggles - THN
Islanders Brock Nelson Excited To Share USA 4 Nations Face-Off Experience With Son, Grandfather - THN
Adam Pelech Returns To Islanders Practice After Suffering Jaw Injury - THN
Key Improvement Roy Wants From Islanders' Dobson In Crunch Time - THN
Hurricanes Latest Lines
Islanders Community:
Complimentary Parking!
Once again for the 2024-25 season, those that drive a BMW can receive complimentary single-game parking in the Emerald Parking lot.
Please click the BMW | Islanders image below for parking registration information,
