The Carolina Hurricanes play the New York Islanders in the third game of the NHL Playoffs East first round on Thursday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. The game will be aired at 7:30 p.m. ET on channels, including ESPN2, SN360, TVAS, BSSO and MSGSN.
The Hurricanes set a franchise record in Game 2 by keeping the Islanders to only 12 shots on goal, the ninth lowest allowed in an NHL Playoff game. The Hurricanes have a 2-0 series lead after a 5-3 victory in Game 2.
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders: Game preview
The Carolina Hurricanes, with an overall record of 52-23-7 and a 18-6-4 record against the Metropolitan Division, are targeting a 3-0 series lead as they get ready for their first postseason game on the road.
They are eighth in the NHL with 277 goals, averaging 3.4 per game. In the ongoing playoff series, they have been scoring 4.00 goals per game and conceding 2.00, with a 25.0% power play success rate.
In the last game, despite trailing 3-1 in the third period, they managed four goals in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory. Teuvo Teravainen, Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho, Jordan Martinook and Jake Guentzel all contributed to the comeback win.
The Hurricanes fired 39 shots on goal and had a 1-5 power play record in the game. Guentzel scored his first playoff goal into an empty net at 19:04, assisted by Aho and Andrei Svechikov.
Goalie Frederik Andersen's nine saves helped the Hurricanes to a commanding 39-12 shot advantage. In this series, he has conceded only four goals out of 46 shots, maintaining a 2-0-0 record, a 2.02 GAA and a 913 SV% over the course of two games.
Andersen blocked 33 of 34 shots in Game 1, but in Game 2, he let in three from just 12 shots.
Meanwhile, New York Islanders, with an overall record of 39-27-16 and a 13-9-6 record against the Metropolitan Division, have performed well. The Islanders have a 10-10-7 record when they have more penalties than their opponent.
In this playoff series, they've averaging 4.00 goals per game and allowing 2.00, with a 25.0% power play success rate. Despite losing the first two games, they've played well in the series, recording 12 shots on goal and going 1-1 on the power play.
They controlled Game 2 for almost 58 minutes and held a lead going into the final stretch. They were outshot 10-7 in the first period but held a 2-0 lead at the first intermission, thanks to goals from Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat.
The second period saw them getting outshot 12-4, but both teams scored once, leaving them up 3-1 after 40 minutes. The third period was challenging for the Islanders as they were outshot 17-1 and outscored 4-0, leading to a loss.
In the net, Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves for the Islanders, who were outshot 39-12. Varlamov has a 0-2-0 record with a 3.03 GAA and .905 SV% in the series. Ilya Sorokin is expected to be the goalie.
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders: Injury report
Jasper Fast of the Hurricanes is down with an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, the Islanders have Scott Mayfied out due to a lower-body injury.
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders: Head-to-head and significant numbers
The Carolina Hurricanes boast an all-time playoff record 10-2-0 against the Islanders.
In the ongoing playoff series, the Islanders have a 75.0% success rate in penalty kills, compared to the Hurricanes' 66.7%. In terms of faceoffs, the Islanders are at 40.9%, while the Hurricanes lead with a 59.1% rate.
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders: Odds and prediction
The Hurricanes have been the odds on favorites in 77 games, winning 51, and has a record of 32 wins in 44 games when the odds are shorter than -163, indicating a 62.0% probability of winning this game.
Meanwhile, the New York have been the underdogs in 45 games, and have had 20 upsets. The Islanders have had odds of +136 or longer once this season and have won five of their 12 games, giving them a 42.4% chance of winning this contest.
Prediction: Islanders 4-3 Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders: Betting tips
Tip 1: Islanders to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 4.5: Yes
Tip 3: Seth Jarvis to score anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Sebastian Aho to score first: Yes
Tip 5: Hurricanes to beat the spread: Yes