2024 Postseason: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders 1st Round Preview

For the last six years, the Carolina Hurricanes have been one of the best teams in the NHL. On Saturday night, they'll mark their sixth straight appearance in the playoffs following a third straight 50-win season in which they won 52 games and racked up 111 points. After a slow start, the Canes have been one of the best teams in the league since mid-December. They have only lost consecutive games twice over the last four months, neither of which featured back-to-back regulation losses. That hasn't happened since they lost four straight games in western Canada. A turnaround in the net has been one of the biggest catalysts for it. Pyotr Kochetkov looked like a legitimate NHL starter as he took control of the net in Frederik Andersen's absence. Once Andersen returned, he looked like he hadn't missed a beat.

The Hurricanes also went off-script and made a big splash at the trade deadline. Jake Guentzel was the biggest fish on the market, and the Canes were the ones who wrangled him in. Guentzel's chemistry with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis has made them one of the best lines in the league. Aho finished with a career-high 89 points, the second-most points of any player since relocation in 1997. Jarvis put together a star-making season, reaching the 30-goal, 60-point plateau for the first time. 16 players finished with 20+ points, and 11 finished with double-digit goals. They also have the best penalty league in the league with the second-best power play.

The other big positive is that the Hurricanes are entering the postseason at nearly full strength. Jesper Fast took a scary tumble into the boards in the season finale on Tuesday, so his status is a little up in the air. Otherwise, the team is at a level of strength they weren't at last season. Andrei Svechnikov is healthy, unlike last season. The goalies have remained healthy because of the rotation they stuck with through the end of the season. None of the other regulars are dealing with anything debilitating. They're firing on all cylinders right now, making them a scary team to deal with.

The Opponents: New York Islanders (39-27-16, 94 Points- 3rd in the Metropolitan Division)

The Good: New York is a team with incredible top-end players. Mathew Barzal is one of the most exciting players in the league, finishing with a team-high 80 points. They also have a trio of 30-goal scorers. Brock Nelson is coming off his third straight 30-goal season, as is Bo Horvat. Kyle Palmieri scored 30 goals for the first time in almost a decade. They also have one of the most underrated defensemen in the league, Noah Dobson. Leading the Islanders with 60 assists, Dobson finished seventh among all defensemen with 70 points. It might be the most important point, but the Islanders are also red-hot coming into the playoffs. They have points in their last ten games, going 8-0-2 to claim a playoff spot. 

The Bad: The Islanders were one of the most confusing teams in the league. One week, they're unstoppable. The next week, they're falling into the abyss. Based on their numbers alone, the Islanders aren't a great team. They're 21st in goals per game. They're a middle-of-the-road team defensively. Their power play is 19th, while their penalty kill is the worst in the league. These are not the numbers of a team that is expected to do much in the postseason. It also doesn't help that their star goalie isn't playing like it. Ilya Sorokin finished the season with a 3.01 GAA, being outplayed down the stretch by Semyon Varlamov. The Islanders also don't feature much depth production. Their top five in scoring all have over 50 points, but there's a decent gap in points from there. 

Season Series- The Canes and Islanders split the season series, with each team going 2-1-1 during the four meetings. Here's a brief glimpse into the times these two crossed paths.

November 4 (Long Island)- New York took a 3-0 lead a little under eight minutes into the second period, but it wouldn't stand. The Canes scored three unanswered to force overtime, including Dmitry Orlov's first goal as a Hurricane and a late tying goal from Jesperi Kotkaniemi on the power play. In overtime, Sebastian Aho was the hero, beating Ilya Sorokin through his five-hole to complete the comeback. 

November 30 (Raleigh)- For most of the first 40 minutes, the Hurricanes seemed to be in control, but that turned on its head late in the second period. Simon Holmstrom scored short-handed, and Pierre Engvall added another in the final minutes to take a 3-2 lead into the third. Jack Drury and Kyle Palmieri traded goals as New York looked pretty set on a 4-3 victory, but Sebastian Aho's heroics struck again, scoring with three seconds left to force overtime. Mathew Barzal ruined the mood, scoring overtime to give New York a 5-4 win.

December 23 (Raleigh)- The Islanders didn't need overtime to get the job done before Christmas. They took a 3-1 into the second period, and every time the Hurricanes tried to get closer, the Islanders scored another goal. Six Islanders finished the night with multiple points, earning another 5-4 win in Raleigh without needing to go to overtime this time.

March 19 (Long Island)- After three months without meeting, the Canes were back on Long Island as New York continued to fight for a playoff spot. This game was all Carolina. Jake Guentzel and Seth Jarvis, with the latter scoring twice in the opening period, and Martin Necas snapped one home in the final seconds to take a 3-1 lead into the break. Kyle Palmieri got New York on the board in the third period, but Guentzel's empty-net goal put New York away for good in a 4-1 win.

Postseason History

2019- After stunning Washington in the first round during their return to the playoffs, the Hurricanes faced the Islanders for the first time in a best-of-seven series. Both games in New York were tight. The Canes won Game 1-0 on an overtime winner by Jordan Staal before stealing Game 2 in the third period by scoring twice in short order to win 2-1. Both games in Raleigh were one-sided. The Canes won both games 5-2, sealing the four-game sweep and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. 

2023- This season is a familiar spot for both sides after going through the same song and dance last season. The Canes took a 2-0 series lead with a pair of close wins in Raleigh before the Islanders scored four late goals in Game 3 to cut into the Canes' series lead. The Canes dominated Game 4, but the Islanders turned it around to take a win in Raleigh in Game 5. The Islanders led Game 6 until Sebastian Aho scored midway through the third period to tie it. In overtime, Paul Stastny scored from a sharp angle, surprising Ilya Sorokin as the Canes claimed the series in six games. 

The Bottom Line- Everyone seems dead set on the Hurricanes wiping the floor with the Islanders. I, being the constant worrier that I am, won't be so naive as to think that New York can't win this series. Of course, I'm picking the Hurricanes to win, but it isn't going to be a cakewalk. I won't be surprised if New York decides to ride with Semyon Varlamov to start the series, while Frederik Andersen appears to be the presumptive starter for the Canes. This series is going to come down to which team's stars shine the brightest. Mathew Barzal has torched the Canes this season, while Sebastian Aho has been very good in the two meetings in the postseason against New York. Player-for-player, there is a good battle to be had. I'm picking the Canes to replicate last season, beating the Islanders in six games.