Game 4 Preview: Islanders vs Hurricanes

GAME 4: ISLANDERS VS HURRICANES
CAROLINA LEADS BEST-OF-SEVEN SERIES 2-1
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The New York Islanders got on the board in their best-of-seven series with the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. On Sunday, they'll look to even the series at two games apiece when the puck drops for a matinee tilt at UBS Arena.
"It was obviously huge to get the first one," Adam Pelech said on Saturday. "We never felt out of it. The two games of Carolina were extremely tight, especially Game Two. We had a chance to win both games, so I think we still felt confident going into Game Three and we got a got a huge win. So we just got to keep going forward."

The Isles scored a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes, scoring four goals in a 2:18 span - an NHL playoff record - to break open a 1-1 tie late in the third period. Whether that momentum will carry over into Sunday depends on who you ask, but what is certain is that UBS Arena will be revved up and ready to go as the Islanders look to hold serve at home. The Hurricanes have also lost eight straight playoff games on the road.
"It's the same win or loss, you learn from the game and you prepare for the next one," Zach Parise said. "We like to think that yeah, the momentum will carry over, but it's a new game for both teams."

KEEP THE HITS COMING:

The Islanders outhit the Hurricanes 43-28 on Friday night and have outhit the Canes 141-95 over the course of three games.
The goal is to wear down the Hurricanes over what they hope is a long series, and it appears the physical play may be taking its toll on Carolina, both physically and mentally. Friday's game started with a big Jean-Gabriel Pageau hit on Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal and ended with Pageau dumping Hurricanes leading scorer Martin Necas into the Isles bench. A frustrated Necas threw a punch at Brock Nelson on the bench before re-taking the ice.
"You're hoping it just takes its toll as a series goes on," Parise said. "They've got mobile defenseman and you have to get a piece of them, you can't let them skate and get up in the rush."
Physicality is at the core of the Islanders grinding style and less so for the Hurricanes, who finished 30th overall in terms of hits during the regular season. That's not to say Carolina isn't game, but the Islanders comfort zone is very much making UBS Arena feel like the Thunderdome, both on the ice and in the stands.
"That's how playoffs are," Parise said. "Rarely do you see people skating by checks. That's how the game is played at this time of year and I think we, we've done a good job of that is trying to get a piece of them when we can."
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Ryan Pulock leads the Islanders with 19 hits through the three games, while Matt Martin is second with 15. Casey Cizikas, Kyle Palmieri and Cal Clutterbuck are all tied with 12. Alexander Romanov contributed four hits in his series debut, not shying away from the physicality despite being out for three weeks with an upper-body injury.

SYNCING UP SPECIAL TEAMS:

After allowing two power-play goals on their first two penalties to start the series, the Islanders penalty kill has stepped up to kill 11 of the past 12 times they've been shorthanded.
Even that number is deceiving since Sebastian Aho's fluky own goal in Game Two counted as a Carolina power-play goal, even though it didn't count as a Hurricanes shot on goal.
Pelech said he felt the Islanders penalty kill wasn't as bad as the Game One boxscore showed, but that they've made small adjustments and been more aggressive on the PK. They limited Carolina to three shots on the power play and rode the momentum of three-straight kills right into Cizikas' icebreaker in the second period.
"The key is what it always is for us which is being aggressive especially up the ice and on entries, not letting them get set up and then blocking shots," Pelech said.
The Islanders had the league's top-ranked PK on home ice during the season, which bodes well for Sunday's game.
The power play has been more erratic for the Islanders in the series. It conceded a shorthanded goal in the second period to tie the score 1-1, but came through in a big moment with Kyle Palmieri's game-winning goal. Overall it went 1-for-5.
The Islanders had a different formation on Friday night, opting for a 2-2-1 setup, as opposed to 1-3-1. The Islanders had 10 power-play shots on Friday night, so pucks were funneling towards the net. Compare that to Game One when the Islanders had four power-play shots in an 0-for-4 showing.

CONFOUNDING CAROLINA AT EVEN STRENGTH:

The Islanders had limited the Hurricanes to seven total goals through three games and only three of them have come at five-on-five.
Carolina rode a pair of power-play goals to a 2-1 win in Game One, were credited with a power-play goal in Game Two and scored a shorthanded tally in Game Three. The Isles have outscored them 7-3 at five-on-five (subtracting Scott Mayfield's five-on-six empty-netter).
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Islanders have a 37-27 lead in high-danger chances at five-on-five in the series, so it's not just a one-off based on Friday's win.
"We we've been a good five on five team for the most part, pretty much the whole year," Parise said. "Our breakouts have been good and one of their strengths is you know extended offensive zone shifts and we've been breaking out well and haven't been giving him too much from that standpoint."