2023-24 Regular Season, Game 34: Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders (Pregame)

The penultimate game before Christmas for the Carolina Hurricanes was a division battle in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. It was a defensive struggle as Pyotr Kochetkov and Alex Nedeljkovic did their best to keep their opponent off the board. Sidney Crosby scored his third goal in two meetings by redirecting a pass from Rikard Rakell to open the scoring in the first period. Teuvo Teravainen broke a nine-game goalless drought with some puck luck late in the second period, getting a friendly bounce off Kris Letang's skate to tie it. Neither side scored in the third period, ensuring the Canes would extend their season-high point streak to six games. The Canes were forced to kill a late penalty despite the argument they should've drawn at least three penalties of their own in overtime. Crosby would score the deciding goal in the shootout to get the Penguins the second point. The penalty kill for the Canes continued to remain unbeatable, stopping all five attempts from Pittsburgh's power play. Pyotr Kochetkov made 24 stops, keeping his incredible stretch of starts going. 

The Opponent: New York Islanders (15-8-9, 39 Points- 3rd in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting- The last meeting was the second-to-last game before the Canes embarked on their long Western Canada road trip. It was an ugly game for both sides when they met in Raleigh a little under a month ago. Jalen Chatfield opened the scoring a little over eight minutes into the game, but Bo Horvat returned the favor with two minutes left in the first period. Jordan Staal finally broke his long goalless drought, but a short-handed goal by Simon Holmstrom and a go-ahead marker from Pierre Engvall turned the game on its head going into the third period. Jack Drury tied the game 36 seconds into the third, but Kyle Palmieri responded on the power play, a goal that would put New York ahead for most of the period. It took a little magic to get the Hurricanes a point. Sebastian Aho scored with three seconds left to force overtime. Mathew Barzal completed his four-point night by scoring the winner in overtime to secure the second point. Noah Dobson added three helpers for New York. Pyotr Kochetkov only stopped 11 of the Islanders' 16 shots, while Semyon Varlamov made 39 saves.

Since We Last Met- The Islanders' usual brand of hockey has relied on being a defensive juggernaut. This month, it's the offense that has been carrying New York. Their power play is the third-best in the league over the last month, while they're tied for fourth in goals per game. Meanwhile, their penalty kill is 25th, and they're allowing 3.20 goals per game. The Islanders' stars continue to lead the way. Mathew Barzal and Noah Dobson are tied for the team lead in points (33), with Dobson recording 28 assists. Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat are lighting the lamp a lot. Simon Holmstrom is turning into a short-handed monster, leading the league with five short-handed goals. Their goalie duo hasn't been as sharp as they usually are, but they're getting results. While the Islanders have only won six of their ten games, they've only lost one game in regulation, allowing them to remain in the thick of the playoff picture. 

Stories/Keys of the Night

1. Empty the Tank

Heading into the break, I'm expecting both teams to go all out before Christmas. The Islanders have been off since completing a back-to-back on Wednesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Washington. They're 1-1-2 in their last four games, while the Canes are 1-0-3. There's a decent chance this game ends up going to overtime. Since neither team will play until December 27, there's no reason for either team to leave anything on the ice. Both teams went into the break last season with wins. Carolina took down Philadelphia in a 6-5 thriller, while the Islanders smoked the Panthers 5-1. 

2. Special Teams Carrying the Load for the Canes

December has been an excellent month for the power play and the penalty kill. The kill is usually one of the best aspects of the Canes' game, but something was wrong with it to begin the season. Slowly, it's starting to move up the leaderboard. They've killed 33 of their 34 penalties this month, easily the best in the league since December 1, including seven games where they've killed at least three. The power play has been doing its part, too. Converting on 31.3% of their attempts, the Canes have the fifth-best power play in December. Before they take time off for Christmas, both units will be important in defeating the Islanders. 

3. Please, Someone Stop Mathew Barzal

In two meetings this season, Mathew Barzal has been a thorn in the Canes' side. He scored a goal and added an assist on Long Island before scoring again and assisting on three more goals. That's six points in two games. With the Canes being the home team, they'll be able to dictate the matchups. It hasn't seemed to matter thus far this season, but the Canes need to find something that works. He was the difference in their meeting in late November. Stopping him will be the key to getting the win before Christmas.