Game Preview: Islanders at Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (4-4-1) AT CAROLINA HURRICANES (6-3-0)

LENOVO CENTER | 7:30PM

WATCH/STREAM: ESPN + | HULU

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are in Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the first half of a back-to-back set.

The Islanders are 0-1-1 on the trip thus far after a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night at TD Garden. Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) and Kyle Palmieri scored early, but Boston scored five unanswered goals and the Islanders’ five-game point streak was snapped in the process.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. Andrei Svechnikov snapped an eight-game scoring drought with his first goal of the year, while Jordan Martinook and Logan Stankoven also scored for the Canes. Frederik Andersen made 29 saves on 34 shots in the loss.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Romanov Returns

Alexander Romanov has been activated off the team's IR list will play against the Hurricanes after missing five straight games with an upper-body injury. The defenseman said he’s feeling good and ready to go after the team’s skate.

“I want to play the same way I did in my last game against the Oilers,” Romanov said. “Just want to start feeling the game with my first shift.”

Head Coach Patrick Roy said that Romanov was physical and defended well against Edmonton on Oct. 16, which is what he’s looking for against a feisty Hurricanes team.

“He’s hard to play against when he’s physical and when he plays around the net,” Roy said. “It’s nice to have him back, no doubt about it.”

Barzal Out Vs Canes

Mathew Barzal will not play against Carolina. The center was late on Thursday morning.

“That’s the culture of our team, we made the decision to not play him tonight,” Roy said. “Barzal doesn’t feel good about it but he respects and understands it.”

Roy said Barzal has a clean slate tomorrow, where he’ll be in the lineup against the Washington Capitals. Barzal has eight points (2G, 6A) through nine games this season.

A roster update is expected in the afternoon regarding which player will be taking Barzal’s spot in the lineup.

IN NET

David Rittich will get the start against the Hurricanes, Head Coach Patrick Roy announced on Monday. . Rittich is 5-3-0 lifetime against Carolina along with a .916 SV% and a 2.63 GAA. Rittich won his first two starts as an Islander this season.

As for Carolina, Brandon Bussi, who has a 2-1-0 to start the season along with a 2.33 GAA and a .911 SV%, will start against the Islanders. The Sound Beach, NY native made his NHL debut on Oct. 14 for the Hurricanes after three seasons for the AHL Providence Bruins.

INJURY UPDATES

Max Shabanov will miss his fourth straight contest on Thursday, as he did not accompany the team on the four-game trip.

IMPROVING SPECIAL TEAMS

The Islanders didn’t have their best night on special teams on Tuesday, as their power play went 0-for-5 and their penalty kill went 2-for-4.

“We have to find a way to do a better job on special teams,” Ryan Pulock said postgame. “We had a lot of power play chances, and we couldn’t get it done. We found some good looks, but weren’t able to capitalize. On the PK, we gave them a little too much space at times.”

Carolina enters Thursday’s game with the NHL’s 32^nd ranked power play, converting at 10% this season. That said, Carolina went 1-for-1 on the man advantage against Vegas in their most recent outing.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles split the season series with the Hurricanes last year 2-2-0. Both wins were at UBS Arena.

ACROSS THE ICE

The Hurricanes’ 6-3 loss to Vegas marked their first loss at home of the season and first game back after a six-game road trip, where they went 4-2-0.

ATOP THE OPPOSITION’S LEADERBOARD

Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho tie for the team lead with 11 points, with Jarvis leading in goals (7) and Aho leading in assists (7).

INJURY UPDATES

In his first game back since missing three games with a lower-body injury, Shayne Gostisbehere left Tuesday’s contest against Vegas with a new injury. The Hurricanes were forced to skate with four defensemen after Joel Nystrom also left the game after blocking a shot.

Jaccob Slavin has been out of the lineup since Oct. 11 with a lower-body injury. He is not expected to play against the Islanders, as Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour said the defenseman is not close to a return.

A FAMILIAR FACE

Former Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly signed a one-year deal with Carolina over the offseason. He has three assists through his first six games with the Hurricanes.