The New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in NHL action from the PNC Arena on Saturday night. A hotly contested Metro division rivalry goes down on Saturday, who comes out on top? Let’s dive in and find out with our Islanders vs. Hurricanes Prediction.
New York Islanders Team Preview
The New York Islanders come into this one looking to rebound from a 3-2 OT loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals in their last matchup. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 33 points including 10 goals and 23 assists while Noah Dobson has 33 points with a team-high 28 assists of his own and Brock Nelson’s added 28 points with a team-high 15 goals this season. Bo Horvat’s also chipped in 31 points with 13 goals and 18 assists and Kyle Palmieri has 19 points with 9 goals and 10 assists. Ilya Sorokin has posted a 9-4-7 record in goal for the Islanders this season with a 3.04 GAA and a .914 save percentage while Semyon Varlamov is 6-4-2 with a 2.75 GAA and a .919 save percentage this season.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The home team has won seven of the Islanders’ last eight games.
- The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last 12 games as underdogs.
- The Islanders have won the second period in four of their last five games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 10 games as underdogs.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes will be on the hunt for a bounce back after a 2-1 shootout loss to Pittsburgh last time out. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 30 points including 12 goals and a team-high 18 assists while Seth Jarvis has 23 points split between 11 goals and 12 assists. Teuvo Teravainen has 20 points with a team-high 12 goals and Martin Necas has 23 points with 9 goals and 14 assists. Michael Bunting has 22 points with 15 assists and Brady Skjei has 20 points with 14 assists. In goal, Frederik Andersen has gone 4-1 with a 2.87 GAA and an .894 save percentage while Antti Raanta is 6-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA and an .854 save percentage and Pyotr Kochetkov is 7-6-3 with a 2.53 GAA and an .899 save percentage.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts
- The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the Islanders and Hurricanes.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last seven games between the Islanders and Hurricanes at PNC Arena.
- The Hurricanes have won the third period in each of their last four games against the Islanders.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in four of the Hurricanes’ last five home games.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Carolina Hurricanes rank 1st in the league for shots against per game this season (25.5).
- The Carolina Hurricanes rank 32nd in the league in save percentage this season (.878).
- The New York Islanders rank 31st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (71.88%).
- The New York Islanders rank 6th in the league in power play percentage this season (25.56%).
Islanders vs. Hurricanes Prediction
I’m on the Islanders here. The road team’s won both meetings this season and I’m at a point right now where I don’t want to chase odds with the Hurricanes just because they’re at home. Sure, they’re a solid home team but they keep finding ways to disappoint. The Islanders have had some issues of their own, but they’re playing a lot of games tight and I think the puck will eventually bounce their way and it starts here. Give me the Islanders.
