New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 1 Prediction, NHL Odds
Although both rosters have gone through changes, the Islanders will be looking for redemption after the Canes swept them in a second-round series back in the 2019 playoffs.
Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour has led Carolina to the postseason in each of his five seasons with the club. The Hurricanes went as far as the third round in 2019, but have not gotten out of the second round since. After missing the playoffs last season, New York is headed back to the postseason for the fourth time in the last five seasons. They are never an easy out and have not been bounced in the first round since 2015.
This series will be NHL fans’ first taste of playoff action, starting at 7 p.m. ET on Monday. The Hurricanes are listed as -177 favourites to win Game 1 on the NHL odds, with the total sitting at 5.5.
Islanders vs. Hurricanes NHL Betting Odds
Sports Interaction’s NHL series betting board lists the Hurricanes as -222 favourites to take the series. It is expected to be a close battle, with the series length listed at -200 to go Over 5.5 games.
Carolina took the season series three games to one this year and split results on the Over/Under 2-2. Their most recent matchup was just two weeks ago when the Canes snuck out a 2-1 win on April 2 in front of their home crowd.
The playoffs tend to emphasize defensive hockey and expect nothing less in this series. The Islanders and Hurricanes play a similar style, carrying a defence-first strategy throughout the entire regular season.
Carolina finished the season with the second-lowest goals-against average, allowing just 2.56 per game. New York came fifth in that department at 2.64 per game.
New York Islanders
The Islanders went 11-6-1 through March and April to secure their wild card spot in what was an exciting playoff race in the Eastern Conference. Their final game of the regular season, a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, clinched New York a playoff berth. Brock Nelson scored a pair of goals in the game, capping off his best season to date. The 31-year-old led the team in goals (36) and points (75) and is still one of the most underrated players in the league.
New York’s offence will likely get a bit of a jolt with Mathew Barzal rejoining the lineup after missing the last 25 games of the regular season. He finished second on the team with 51 points in 58 games and developed tremendous chemistry with the newly acquired Bo Horvat in the short stint they played together.
Of course, this team would not be where they are without stellar goaltending from Ilya Sorokin. He ended the season with a ridiculous .924 save percentage and 2.34 GAA, while playing 62 games (fifth-most in the NHL).
Carolina Hurricanes
Clinching home-ice advantage through at least the first two rounds of the playoffs will be huge for the Hurricanes after dominating at PNC Arena this season, going 28-10-3.
Coach Brind’Amour has a three-headed monster in the net, with Frederick Andersen, Antti Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov all at his disposal. Andersen will likely get the start on Monday after facing the Isles three times this season, as well as having the most playoff experience of the bunch. An argument could be made for Raanta though, as he has been spectacular this season, posing a 19-3-3 record.
Their downfall in last year’s playoffs was the lack of goal-scoring and it seems that could be an issue this time around too. In the last 31 games after the NHL All-Star break, they have averaged just 2.97 goals per game, ranking them 23rd of 32 teams. They ended the season with the 20th-best power play, clicking at just 19.8 per cent and will be without one of their top forwards, Andrei Svechnikov, for their entire run.
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