Round One Preview: Canes vs. Islanders

RALEIGH, NC. -The Carolina Hurricanes begin postseason play on Monday, taking on the New York Islanders in a best-of-seven series.

Get ready Raleigh 👊

• y - Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 15, 2023
  ### Regular Season Records
  Carolinafinished the season 52-21-9, entering as the Metropolitan Division Champions.
  New Yorkconcluded with a record of 42-31-9, reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top Wild Card in the Eastern Conference.
  ### Head-To-Head Meetings
  The Canes won three of four regular-season games between the two clubs.

The Story, In Short
If you like tight, defensive, and structured hockey, this series is for you.
Only the Boston Bruins (170) allowed fewer goals than the Canes (210) this season, and the Islanders were not far behind Carolina (217).
The difference is that Carolina kept their opponent's offense to a minimum with strong team defense, allowing an average of just 26 shots per night. On the other hand, the Isles have done so with spectacular goaltending, as Ilya Sorokin's .924 save percentage ranked as the second-best during the regular season, topped by only that of Linus Ullmark of Boston (.936).
### Finding Offense
While both teams are very good at keeping the puck out of the net, each has been below-average at scoring goals since the All-Star break.
The Islanders have averaged just 3.13 goals per game in 30 contests since February 5th, ranking 19th out of all 32 NHL clubs.
The Canes have produced an average of just 2.97 goals per game in 31 contests during the same period of time, landing 23rd.
### Special Teams
Part of why both teams have struggled to find twine is that neither has had a multitude of success on the power play.
Over the course of the entire regular season, only Philadelphia (15.2%) was worse than the Islanders (15.8%). Carolina wasn't much better though, coming in at 19.8%, good for 19th in the league.
On the flip side, both clubs have top 10 penalty kills.
Carolina finished their 82-game schedule having killed off 84.4% of penalties, second in the NHL. The Islanders came in at 82.2%, ranking ninth.
### In Net
As alluded to above, there will be no question about who gets the Game One start in net for the Islanders. All-Star Ilya Sorokin will have the green light for Lane Lambert's club unless unforeseen circumstances arise.
Since coming over from Russia for the 2020-21 season, Sorokin has been one of the very best netminders in all of the NHL. Of all goalies that have played 120 games or more over the course of those three seasons, nobody beats Sorokin's .924 save percentage.
At the other end of the ice, it remains to be seen whether he'll be standing across from Antti Raanta or Frederik Andersen. The answer to that could even change on a nightly basis. Carolina has rotated netminders since Raanta returned from injury on April 1.
Andersen had more wins this season as a whole (21) and more wins over playoff teams (11), but Raanta had a better SV% (.910) and more shutouts (4). Arguments could be built to go either way and from the glass-half-full perspective, the team has two viable options in net. Three, really, if necessary.
### Players To Watch
Carolina: Brent Burns
The first-year Hurricane ended his regular season by scoring in three consecutive games, producing a total of four goals.
It will be the 37-year-old's first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2019 and he's also a critical part of Carolina's power play.
New York: Mathew Barzal
The dynamic forward produced 51 points in 58 games before suffering a lower-body injury on February 18. However, he's ready to go now.
He will be in the lineup for Game One of the series and has the potential to be a series-changing player.
### How They See It:
Rod Brind'Amouron the group's mindset as they shift into postseason play...
"You definitely reset now. It makes no difference how you got to this point, we're all here now and we all have a great chance. It's what you've worked all this time for - to have a chance. You turn the page and start over."
Brady Skjeidiscussing what challenges the Islanders present...
"I think we're pretty similar teams. We both play straight-line hockey. Both teams are aggressive. They're an experienced team. They have a bunch of guys that have been in this league a long time and they know what it takes to be successful. We match up pretty well against each other, so it should be a solid series. Both teams play hard."
Shayne Gostisbeherewhen asked what it will take for the Canes' man advantage to be successful in this series...
"Being ready. You're playing the same team a bunch of times. You know how each other's units work and whatnot, so for us, it's being dialed in. There are going to be some ups and downs, some games where maybe we don't get a lot of power plays, but just being ready when we do get one. We have two dynamic setups."
Worth A Click:
Burnside: Burns' Experience & Impact In His First Season As A Member Of The Canes
Notebook: The First Practice of the Postseason
Limited Round One Tickets On Sale Now
Canes and Islanders Round One Schedule
Burns Named NHL's Second Star of the Week
Writers Roundtable: Before The Playoffs
Fensore Signed To Two-Year Entry-Level Contract
CanesCast Episode 246: Now The Fun Begins
Back-To-Back Metro Division Champions Pucks On Sale Now
National Champion Goaltender Perets Signed To Two-Year Entry-Level Contract
Mailbag: Head Athletic Trainer Doug Bennett
Learn More About Season Ticket Memberships For The 2023-24 Season