Game Preview: Islanders at Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (39-29-9) VS CAROLINA HURRICANES (48-18-9)
6 PM ET | PNC ARENA
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The New York Islanders will be tested with matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday at PNC Arena, in the second half of a back-to-back set for both teams.
Down 2-1-0 in the season series, the Islanders are looking to even it up after winning the opening matchup of the season series 6-2 on Oct. 28 in Raleigh, before losing 3-0 on Dec. 10 and then dropping a 5-2 decision on Jan. 21 at UBS Arena.

The Islanders are coming off a 5-0 shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Ilya Sorokin made 17-of-21 saves and recorded the loss before Semyon Varlamov stopped 10-of-11 in relief.
"Let's re-group here," Anders Lee said after Saturday's defeat. "Unfortunately, it was bad timing to have a game like this, but we have an opportunity tomorrow night."
The Hurricanes are on the flip side of a shutout, winning 3-0 against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Carolina outshot Montreal 50-14, while Paul Stastny (1G, 1A), Brady Skjei (GWG) and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes. The win also snapped a three-game winless streak for Carolina (0-2-1).
Six points separate the top four teams in the race for a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders (87 points) hold onto the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, while the Florida Panthers (85 points) jumped to the second wild card spot after blanking the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-0 on Saturday night. The Isles and Panthers are separated by two points, each team with 77 games played this season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (84 points) fell out of a playoff spot with a 4-3 regulation loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, trailing the Panthers by one point but have one game in-hand. The Buffalo Sabres (81 points) are creeping up to the line, chasing Florida by four points and have two games in-hand.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• With only five games left in the regular season, the Islanders are looking for two points against the Hurricanes to protect their first wild card status in the ultra-tight standings of the Eastern Conference.
"We can potentially change something with a spark tomorrow," Head Coach Lane Lambert said on Saturday. "All that matters is tomorrow night."
• Mathew Barzal will skate this weekend, Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced on Saturday morning. A timeline for his return to the lineup is unknown, as Lamoriello cited the medical staff as the deciding factor in Barzal's return. The 25-year-old centerman has been out since Feb. 18 with a lower-body injury, missing 18 consecutive games. The Islanders are 11-5-2 over that span.
• Alexander Romanov briefly left Saturday's game, before returning for the third period. According to Lambert, there are no lingering issues for the 23-year-old defenseman.
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GAME EXTRAS
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Talkin' Isles
Isles History
• Sebastian Aho travelled with the team this weekend and his status in the lineup is to be determined on Sunday.
• Brock Nelson has 24 points (13G, 11A) in 32 career games played against the Hurricanes, with three of those goals scored this season, including a two-goal performance on Oct. 28.
• Zach Parise racked up 34 points (20G, 14A) in 41 career games against Carolina, scoring his 20th career goal in the first game of this year's season series.

HURRICANES NOTES:

• The Hurricanes (105 points) sit atop the Metropolitan Division, one point up on the New Jersey Devils (104 points), though Carolina holds a game in hand. The Hurricanes have hit the 100-point mark in each of the past two seasons. If the Hurricanes can win the division, it'll mark the third straight year they've won their division.
• Carolina is now 37-5-4 when scoring the first goal of the game. Only the Bruins (38) have more wins when earning the contest's first tally.
• Teuvo Teravainen has missed two straight games with an illness. Teravainen has 36 points (12G, 24A) in 63 games this season, a dropoff from his 65 points in 77 games last season.
• The Hurricanes will be without Andrei Svechnikov, who suffered a torn ACL and is out for the rest of the season and playoffs. Svechnikov had 55 points (23G, 32A) in 64 games at the time of his injury.
• Martin Necas is in the midst of a career-year, setting new highs in goals (27), assists (41) and points (68). Necas leads the team in points.
• Defenseman Brent Burns has 56 points in his first year with Carolina, his most points since the 2018-19 season when he had 83 points with San Jose.
• Goalie Antti Raanta returned to the lineup for the first time since March 7 on Saturday, pitching a 14-save shutout. Since Raanta started on Saturday, Frederik Andersen is likely to start on Sunday. Andersen is 19-9-1 with a 2.47 GAA, a .903 SV% and one shutout. Andersen is 1-1-0 in two starts against the Isles this season.