Game Preview: Islanders vs. Hurricanes

The Canes take on another opponent fighting for the playoffs.

On Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes took down a team fighting for a Wild Card spot. This afternoon, the Canes will face off against another squad in the same situation.

The New York Islanders are three points out of the last Wild Card spot. The Islanders have two games in hand to the New Yorks Rangers, which are currently in the WC2 spot. According to Money Puck, the Islanders have a 15.9 percent chance of clinching the final Wild Card spot.

Today’s game is the second in a southern back-to-back for New York. Last night, the Islanders lost 5-3 in Tampa and are on a four-game losing streak.

New York’s current streak should create a desperate team. The only silver lining is that two of the four losses came in overtime, allowing the Isles to capture the loser’s point twice.

Carolina last played New York in January, and the Islanders won in overtime for the team’s fourth-straight victory. During that stretch, New York would go on to win seven in a row, elevating them back into the playoff conversation.

However, February was a tough month as New York went 3-5-0. The drop in the standings prompted the Islanders to make a move at the deadline, shipping out career Islander Brock Nelson to Colorado for prospects and picks.

This month, the Islanders earned points in seven of eight home games, but have a 2-4-0 record on the road.

Bo Horvat and Anders Lee lead the Islanders with 49 points each. Horvat leads the team in assists, while Lee is the team leader in goals.

Former Cane Tony DeAngelo is on a five-game points streak, and is New York’s leading scorer over that span with two goals and four assists. He has 12 points the last 17 games.

Ilya Sorokin is still carrying the load for the Islanders between the pipes. He has started 54 games, the fourth-most among all goaltenders. Sorokin has a 27-22-6 record with a 2.79 goals against average and .905 save percentage.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov is on the IR from an injury sustained in December. Mathew Barzal remains out with a knee injury.

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On Friday versus Montreal, the Hurricanes found the puck luck and finishing ability missing from the game against Nashville.

The second period turned heavily in Carolina’s favor as Sebastian Aho made a great play along the boards to get the puck to a streaking Jordan Martinook, who drew a penalty.

On the ensuing man advantage, Taylor Hall stayed hot, doing all that he can to revive the Canes’ power play.

Aho’s great goal off a beauty of a saucer from Seth Jarvis was a highlight reel goal you will see for years to come. And for a slumping Aho, that goal is hopefully what he needs to spur a hot streak heading into the playoffs.

Andrei Svechnikov returned to the lineup and had a solid game. He finished it off with an empty net goal.

The power play must be a focus in today’s game. The Islanders rank 30th in the NHL on the penalty kill. With the recent success of the man advantage, this is a prime opportunity to continue to build confidence.

With Sorokin playing last night, Carolina may face Marcus Hogberg in net. The big Swede has started just seven games this season. Either against a fatigued goalie or one without a lot of action, the Canes need to take advantage of this situation.

Pyotr Kochetkov is the expected starter. One of his two shutouts this season came against the Islanders. Another great opportunity for Kochetkov to bounce back after two losses.

And if Sorokin is in the opposing net, you know how Kochetkov feels about facing off against another Russian.

No line changes are expected.

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Today is Military Appreciation Day at Lenovo Center:

Here’s how to check out the action:

• Time: 5:00 PM ET
• Location: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
• TV: FanDuel Sports Network South with Mike Maniscalco, play-by-play; Tripp Tracy, color analyst; Hanna Yates, in-game reporter; Shane Willis, analyst.
• Radio: 99.9 The Fan
• Line: ML: CAR -298; PL: CAR -1.5 -108