The New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes square off in NHL action from the PNC Arena on Thursday night. Two Metro division rivals going in different directions, who comes out on top? Let’s dive into this Islanders vs. Hurricanes prediction and find out.
Islanders Drop Back-To-Back Games
The New York Islanders have started to regress to old habits, taking a 5-4 loss at the hands of the New Jersey Devils last time out. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 19 points including 6 goals and a team-high 13 assists while Noah Dobson has 18 points with 13 assists of his own and Brock Nelson’s added 16 points with a team-high 10 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 15 points with 6 goals and 9 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 12 points with 5 goals and 7 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 5-4-5 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.10 GAA and a .913 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 3-3-1 with a 2.30 GAA and a .930 save percentage this season.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have lost each of their last five games at PNC Arena against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last 10 games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Islanders have won the second period in each of their last four games as underdogs.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 12 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
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Hurricanes Keep Rolling
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game looking to extend their current two-game win streak after a 4-1 win over Philadelphia last time out. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 19 points including 5 goals and a team-high 14 assists while Seth Jarvis has 18 points split between 9 goals and 9 assists. Teuvo Teravainen has 16 points with a team-high 10 goals and Jesperi Kotkaniemi has 15 points with 8 goals and 7 assists. In goal, Frederik Andersen has gone 4-1 with a 2.87 GAA and an .894 save percentage while Antti Raanta is 6-3 with a 3.47 GAA and an .854 save percentage and Pyotr Kochetkov is 3-4 with a 2.65 GAA and an .894 save percentage.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts
- The Hurricanes have lost four of their last five games as favorites following a road win.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine Thursday games as favorites.
- The Hurricanes have won the third period in four of their last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Hurricanes’ last eight games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Carolina Hurricanes ranks 1st in the league for shots against per game this season (25.3).
- The Carolina Hurricanes ranks 31st in the league in save percentage this season (.872).
- The New York Islanders ranks 31st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (70.59%).
- The New York Islanders ranks 30th in the league for goals per game this season (2.62).
Islanders vs. Hurricanes Prediction
I’m sticking with the Hurricanes here. I guess old habits die hard for the Islanders, who looked like they maybe turned a corner before back-to-back losses again. The Hurricanes are just playing the better hockey and in my opinion are the more trustworthy team across the board in this matchup. Give me Carolina.
