2023-24 Regular Season, Game 12: Hurricanes at New York Islanders (Pregame)

The tough week around the Metropolitan Division concludes for the Carolina Hurricanes after having their three-game win streak snapped on Thursday night. The Canes were at Madison Square Garden to battle with the Metro-leading New York Rangers, who were on a heater of their own. The Rangers were back home after a perfect five-game Western road trip, and they showed no signs of fatigue once the game started. They controlled the play from the jump, earning an early power play, and scored after Artemi Panarin's cross-ice backhand pass found Chris Kreider alone at the side of the net. The Canes found their footing, killing a penalty and scoring on their opening power play. Sebastian Aho's stretch pass sprung Seth Jarvis on a breakaway, and he put it over the glove of Igor Shesterkin to tie it. The game remained tied at one for most of the night until Jacob Trouba found Will Cuylle streaking to the net midway through the third period. Shesterkin kept the Canes out of the net to finish the night with a 2-1 win, their sixth straight. 

The Opponent: New York Islanders (5-2-2, 12 Points- 3rd in the Metropolitan Division)

If you're remotely familiar with the New York Islanders, you know what to expect when they hit the ice. They are a team that doesn't score much, but they also don't allow much either. This season, they have the sixth-worst offensive output but the fifth-fewest goals allowed. The Islanders spent most of their offseason keeping what they had. Ilya Sorokin, Semyon Varlamov, Pierre Engvall, and Scott Mayfield earned long-term extensions to remain on Long Island. While they haven't scored much, the Islanders have spread their scoring. Noah Dobson sits atop the team with nine points, with Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and Bo Horvat all in the vicinity. New York was in action on Thursday night in Washington, D.C. Ryan Pulock scored 22 seconds into the game, Simon Holmstrom and Nelson added goals, and Varlamov stopped all 32 shots he faced to shut out the Capitals 3-0. 

Last Season's Meetings- The Hurricanes won three of the four meetings. The Islanders' lone win came in the first meeting in Raleigh in late October. The teams traded goals through two periods, with the Islanders leading 3-2 after 40 minutes. Two goals in the third period by Brock Nelson helped to extend the lead as New York won 6-2. When they met again in early December, the Hurricanes dominated. Pyotr Kochetkov only faced 16 shots, while Paul Stastny, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Jordan Staal provided the offense in a 3-0 win. The Canes were back at UBS Arena in late January, and while it was 2-2 after the first period, Sebastian Aho took control, scoring three straight goals for the hat trick and a 5-2 win. The final meeting in early April served as a preview for the postseason. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored in the first period, but goals by Kotkaniemi and Jordan Martinook scored for the Canes to win it 2-1. 

The two sides met again in the 1st Round of the postseason. The series began in Raleigh with the Canes taking Games 1 and 2 by one goal, including an overtime winner in Game 2 by Jesper Fast. The Islanders broke a 1-1 tie in Game 3 with four goals in the final four minutes to show signs of life, but the Canes responded with a resounding 5-2 win in Game 4 to put the Islanders on the verge of elimination. New York staved it off by taking Game 5 in Raleigh before Sebastian Aho scored to tie the game in the third period, and Paul Stastny scored from a tough angle in overtime to end the series in Game 6. 

Stories of the Night

1. Ending the Week Positively

With a week of nothing but division opponents, the Hurricanes have split in Philly and NYC. Both games were decided by one goal, and their effort in Thursday's loss to the Rangers was a better overall effort than Monday's win against the Flyers. To cap the week, the Hurricanes need a win over the Islanders. That'll be easier said than done, but after an up-and-down start to the season, this would be an excellent way to conclude the week. The Hurricanes are looking up at the Rangers and Devils right now. While it's too early to be fixated on the standings, it's worth keeping an eye on with as tight as the division has been. 

2. Aho & Svechnikov Destined to Break Out

The number of guys who have gotten off to hot starts has been encouraging for the Hurricanes. 13 players have at least four points, including Sebastian Aho. However, we've yet to see the superstar have a night where he has taken the game over. While it's nice to see other guys carrying the play, there's an expectation for Aho to be the best. His early-season injury halted some momentum, but this could be the night he turns it up. Andrei Svechnikov is in a different boat. After missing seven months, Svechnikov has one point in three games. Thursday's game was the first time he's started in the Top 6 as the team waited to push him up the lineup. He's another player I'm waiting to see a massive night from. 

3. Ilya Sorokin: The League's Best Goalie?

There will always be a debate over who the best goalie in the league is. For the last several years, the feeling was that Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy was the goalie to beat. Recently, we've seen a shift away from Vasilevskiy and onto guys like Igor Shesterkin and Ilya Sorokin. While his GAA is a little inflated to start the season, my vote for the best goalie goes to Sorokin. He's hovered around the Vezina conversation the last two years, finishing runner-up to Boston's Linus Ullmark a season ago. Since taking over as the starter in 2021-22, Sorokin has the third-best save percentage and the sixth-best GAA in the league. His 14 shutouts are four more than any other goalie during that stretch. His record can sometimes suffer from New York's lack of offense. He was great in the postseason despite the Islanders falling in six games.