2025-26 Regular Season, Game 10 Preview: Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

Last Game: Tuesday night's battle against the Vegas Golden Knights featured a lot of back and forth for most of the contest. The Canes got rolling early on the power play. Andrei Svechnikov needed just two seconds to get the group on the board, scoring his first of the season off the draw. Pavel Dorofeyev responded with a pair of goals, including a late power play tally of his own. The Golden Knights continued to rule the game, but Jordan Martinook made a great play at the blue line to strip Jack Eichel of the puck and bury a breakaway chance, tying the game at two after 40 minutes. Logan Stankoven restored the Canes' lead early in the third, until Brett Howden responded four minutes later. Tied at 3 late in the third, Eichel returned the favor from earlier, getting sprung on a breakaway and beating Frederik Andersen to hop back in front. A defensive breakdown after a missed call allowed Eichel to get his second goal shortly after, and Tomas Hertl scored into the empty net to seal a 6-3 Vegas road win.

Injury Report

Shayne Gostisbehere: He exited Tuesday's game after the first period with a new injury, and he didn't practice on Monday. He's being re-evaluated today, though it's uncertain how long he'll be out.

Pyotr Kochetkov: He's back at practice, as of Monday, and while he won't dress tonight, he's not far away from returning.

Jaccob Slavin: He's still not practicing yet.

K'Andre Miller: Neither is he, though he could be close, too.

Eric Robinson: The team placed him on IR on Tuesday.

William Carrier: He's not on IR, but he might as well be.

The Opponent: New York Islanders (4-4-1, 9 Points; 8th in the Metropolitan Division)

Last Season's Meetings: The home team prevailed all four times these division foes met last season. The Islanders took the first meeting, 4-3, in early December on Long Island. The Canes led 2-1 on a pair of Andrei Svechnikov power-play goals before the Islanders took over the second period, scoring three times in the final 10 minutes to lead 4-2 after 40 minutes. The Canes closed the gap with a last-minute goal from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but it wasn't enough to stop a 4-3 Islanders victory. Ten days later, the teams met in Raleigh, and this was the most lopsided of the contests. Carolina dominated from horn-to-horn. Svechnikov and Jordan Martinook scored in the first. Tyson Jost and Sebastian Aho added to it in the second. Pyotr Kochetkov made 32 stops to earn a 4-0 shutout victory.

The Hurricanes appeared to be in business during their return trip to Long Island in late January, taking an early 2-0 lead on goals by Jack Roslovic and Aho in the first 6:30 of the contest. Instead, the Islanders rattled off three unanswered goals, with Anders Lee tying it in the third and Brock Nelson winning it in overtime. Their final encounter two months later in Raleigh was the wildest of them all, featuring massive swings in each direction. Once again, the Canes jumped ahead early, with Mark Jankowski and Logan Stankoven scoring 13 seconds apart in the opening frame. Then, New York scored three straight, including a pair from Pierre Engvall, to take the lead early in the second. Aho (PP) and Seth Jarvis (SH) scored on special teams to close the period with the Canes ahead by a goal, but Lee scored early in the third to tie it again. Dmitry Orlov struck midway through the third, and Jarvis scored his second of the night late to claim a 6-4 victory. Pyotr Kochetkov started all four games for Carolina, stopping 104 of 115 shots (.904). Sebastian Aho recorded points in all four games, leading the way with three goals and four assists.

Since We Last Met: The Islanders' offseason got off on the right foot, jumping from 10th to 1st by winning the draft lottery. Under the new management of Mathieu Darche, the Islanders had a relatively quiet offseason after the draft. That being said, they were very active on Night 1. They started the day by completing a sign-and-trade with Montreal, sending defenseman Noah Dobson to the Canadiens for Emil Heineman and two picks. Their busy first round began with them taking defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the top pick, followed by Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson with the picks they received from Montreal. Other than that, there wasn't much news from Long Island. They made a few small additions, like tonight's starter, David Rittich, but there wasn't a need for them to go big as they enter a retool. Their season started slowly, dropping their first three games in regulation. However, they rattled off four wins in a row, including a victory over the defending Western Conference champs and a 7-2 drumming of the Detroit Red Wings. They're on a mini slide right now, losing their last two games. Schaefer has been as advertised, putting up seven points in his first six games before a tiny scoreless stretch. Bo Horvat leads the team with 6 goals and 11 points. The real issue has been goaltending, especially from Ilya Sorokin. His numbers have been rough, posting a near 4.00 GAA in seven starts.

Stories to Watch

1. Schaefer vs. Nikishin

We'll be treated to a big rookie duel, albeit two rookie defensemen at very different stages of their hockey careers. Schaefer is a fresh-faced 18-year-old taken first overall in June. Nikishin is 24 and has spent several years cutting his teeth in the KHL. Schaefer will get all of the headlines, with the ESPN crew likely to drone on and on about Schaefer's start, while Nikishin will get some love, too. This will also be intriguing from the standpoint that Nikishin played nearly half of Tuesday's game (27:33), so how he follows it up will be something to watch.

2. Are Svechnikov and the power play back?

While the disparity in power plays on Tuesday was a story, the Canes made quick work of their chance, scoring in two seconds, courtesy of Andrei Svechnikov's first goal of the season. Both were a welcome sight. Svechnikov has a decent amount of history against the Islanders, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 21 meetings during the regular season, and another five points in the playoffs. If both the player and the unit are back working at a sustainable pace, it might help ease the burden on the back end. 

3. Finishing October (and the first 10-game segment) on the right foot

Thursday's tilt will bring an end to the Canes' schedule for October. It also marks the 10th game of the season for the team. Through nine games, they're 6-3-0. With a win, it'll bring them to a .700 points percentage through ten games, or a 114-115-point pace for the season. A loss in regulation shrinks it to about 98-99 points, which is where they were a season ago. If the Canes can come out of this with at least one point, it'll be a good 10-game stretch, especially since they were on the road for a long stretch of it. It really doesn't mean too much now, but it'll be a good measuring stick for the team.