The New York Islanders find themselves in a 2-0 deficit against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and must get a win aboard on Friday in Game 3 to have a realistic chance of progressing into the next round.
Bookmaker BetOnline has the odds at -113 for an Islanders win and at +102 for a Hurricanes victory Friday.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 20th, 1:00 P.M. (EST)
The Hurricanes were the overwhelming favorites in the match-up, but the Islanders must feel incredibly disappointed with how things have turned out so far. Carolina was there for the taking in both of the first two games and it’s a missed opportunity for Lane Lambert’s team.
Can the Islanders now find the quality needed to win at home? They were eight minutes away from victory in Game 2 and must have gained some confidence from pushing the Hurricanes close in both games in Raleigh.
Lambert’s men could also be helped by Carolina’s injury troubles. All-Star Andrei Svechnikov suffered a season-ending knee injury in March, Max Pacioretty is out with a torn Achilles and now Teuvo Teräväinen broke his hand in Game 2. That’s three top-six forwards missing for the Hurricanes, and while the team has so far coped well with the injuries, it’s bound to have an effect on their play sooner or later.
It’s already pretty telling that Carolina’s most productive player on offense in the series has been defenseman Brent Burns. He has notched two assists in both of the first two games, becoming only the third player in franchise history to record four points through his first two playoff games with the club.
The veteran enjoyed his best regular-season campaign in four years and looks set to play a massive part in the playoffs as well. He’s a key player for Carolina at both ends of the ice and the Islanders would greatly boost their chances in the series if they can limit Burns’ influence on the proceedings.
The Hurricanes won both of their visits to UBS Arena in the regular season and will draw confidence from their very strong head-to-head record. They have won 16 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams and playing on the road has never been a problem for the team either – Carolina has won 23 of the last 30 road games against the Islanders.
