2024-25 Regular Season, Game 31 Preview: Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

Sunday night's victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets was more of what we expect to see from the Carolina Hurricanes on a nightly basis. It was a far cry from some of the tougher comebacks and tight losses we've seen in recent games. The penalty kill was the catalyst to open the scoring, getting a short-handed marker from Sebastian Aho on a 2-on-1 with Seth Jarvis. William Carrier extended the lead in the final minute of the period, burying Jordan Staal's pass from behind the net to make it 2-0 going into the first intermission. Columbus stuck around, getting one back late in the second period on Dmitri Voronkov's chance in the slot. Jordan Martinook promptly responded by redirecting Staal's drive from the point, which was upheld after a challenge for goalie interference. The Canes thought they had another one when Jack Roslovic scored on the ensuing power play, but another challenge by the Blue Jackets proved successful as Tyson Jost was called for a hand pass. Instead, they waited until the third period to make it 4-1 after Jesper Kotkaniemi unleashed a wicked shot from the dot to beat Elvis Merzlikins over his glove. Dustin Tokarski, as he had done all night, shut Columbus down from there, making 27 stops in his team debut to earn the victory. 

The Opponent: New York Islanders (12-13-7, 31 Points, 7th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Meeting: One bad period is all it took for the Islanders to top the Hurricanes on Long Island ten days ago. Andrei Svechnikov got a friendly bounce to open the scoring on the power play late in the first period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau tied it early in the second period in transition, but Svechnikov's second goal on the power play helped the Canes regain their lead. New York scored three times in second half of the period, getting goals from Oliver Wahlstrom, Maxim Tsyplakov, and Bo Horvat to take a 4-2 lead into the third. The Canes pushed to get back into it but only managed a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal in the final minute to fall short, 4-3. Pageau and Shayne Gostisbehere finished with three points, while Ilya Sorokin made 28 stops in the win.

Since We Last Met: The Islanders have split their last four games since beating the Hurricanes. Ilya Sorokin turned around and won on Sunday, too, beating the Senators 4-2. They dropped a tough 3-1 decision to the King early last week before splitting with the Chicago Blackhawks. They beat them last Thursday 5-4 after holding a four-goal lead midway through the game. The Blackhawks returned the favor by beating the Islanders on Sunday, 5-3. The team has undergone a slight shakeup. Pierre Engvall was placed on waivers and cleared over the weekend, while Oliver Wahlstrom was claimed by Boston. Mathew Barzal returned to the lineup on Sunday and Anthony Duclair is expected to be close behind. Bo Horvat missed Sunday's game and is listed as day-to-day, so his status for Tuesday could be determined closer to game time. Noah Dobson has started to find his game, recording two goals and five points in his last four contests. 

Stories of the Night

1. Prepping for Barzal & (Possibly) Duclair

Ten days ago, the Hurricanes didn't have to worry about Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair being in the lineup. Tuesday night, they will have to plan for Barzal, while Duclair's status is up in the air. Regardless, whether it's one or both players in the lineup, the Islanders are instantly a faster team. Barzal has a knack for making the Canes look bad, doing so primarily in the regular season. Duclair has had his moments against the Canes, too. They are two highly skilled pieces that will be tough to keep quiet tonight.

2. Where Has the Power Play Gone?

Over the last three games, the Hurricanes have started to see 5-on-5 production increase. Meanwhile, their power play has gone 0-for-9 without looking particularly threatening. The name of the game has been "finding a happy balance" for the Canes. It always seems that when one is working, the other is struggling. They haven't been able to get all of their groups on the same page. Once they get it figured out, we'll see them rolling at the same clip they were at the beginning of the season.