Game Preview: Islanders vs Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (9-11-7) VS CAROLINA HURRICANES (17-8-1)

5 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

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

The New York Islanders are looking to jump back into the win column when they host the Carolina Hurricanes in the first of four meetings of the season series on Saturday evening at UBS Arena.

The Islanders fell into a 4-0 hole in an eventual 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. Noah Dobson and Max Tsyplakov scored late in the third period to make it 4-2, but the Kraken sealed the deal with an empty netter that put an end to the Islanders’ three-game point streak. Ilya Sorokin made nine of 13 saves through 40 minutes before he was replaced by Marcus Hogberg, who made all 11 saves in relief.

The Islanders are looking to put Thursday’s loss behind them, staying laser focused on their next matchup against a tough divisional opponent in the Hurricanes. Last season, the Islanders and Hurricanes split the regular season series each going 2-1-1, but New York’s season was ended by Carolina in five games of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“This is a very good defensive team, they’re always of the best [when it comes to] possession time in the offensive zone,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “We know they’re going to shoot a lot of pucks at the net, that’s in their DNA. We’re going to have to be good in different areas. We’re going to have to be good around the net, move the puck quick and jam the net.”

The Hurricanes are coming off a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night, which extinguished a three-game losing streak. Andrei Svechnikov (1G, 3A), Eric Robinson, Seth Jarvis (PPG), Jack Roslovic and Martin Necas (PPG, 1A) led the way offensively for the Canes, while Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 16 of 19 shots in the win.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders are 2-5-3 in their last 10 games and have dropped to eighth in the Metropolitan Division. The Isles know they need to pick up points in the standings and are focused on the task at-hand.

“It’s times like these we have to gather together, stick together and work together to find ways to win the next game,” Roy said. “Maybe focusing more short-term.”

- Adam Pelech (upper body, IR) has skated with the team for two consecutive days, but his timeline to return is yet to be determined. Mathew Barzal (upper body, LTIR) and Anthony Duclair (lower body, LTIR) have begun skating on their own, the team announced. Barzal last played on Oct. 30 in Columbus and has missed 17 games, while Duclair last played on Oct. 19 and missed 22 games.

- Semyon Varlamov (lower body, day to day) missed Thursday’s contest against the Kraken and Friday’s practice.

- The Isles went 0-for-2 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play against Seattle. Roy explained that special teams can make the difference in games and his team needs to improve in both areas. The Isles PK ranks 32^nd in the league (66.7%) and its power play converts at 11.8% and is tied for 31^st in the NHL.

“We’re playing well five-on-five,” Roy said. “That’s why if we start doing a better job at the PK and the power play, we will win. It’s a team thing.”

- Noah Dobson scored his second goal of the year - and first past a goalie - on Thursday as his first goal of the year was an empty-netter. Dobson is tied for second on the team in assists (10).

- The Islanders changed up their lines at Friday's practice. Anders Lee joined Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, while Bo Horvat centered Max Tsyplakov and JG Pageau on a new-look line. Casey Cizikas centered a line with Simon Holmstrom and Oliver Wahlstrom, while Kyle MacLean centered a line with Matt Martin and Hudson Fasching.

HURRICANES NOTES

- The Hurricanes are playing well, ranking third in the Metro with 35 points despite facing injuries on the goalie front this season. Frederik Andersen is out long term for Carolina after the goalie underwent knee surgery on Nov. 22. Pyotr Kochetkov missed four games with a concussion but made his return to action on Tuesday. In two games since his return, the 25-year-old netminder allowed seven goals on 47 shots (.851 SV%).

Carolina signed goaltender Dustin Tokarski to a one-year, two-way contract on Monday. The 35-year-old netminder has a record of 4-1-0 along with a 1.61 GAA and .933 SV% in five AHL games with the Chicago Wolves this season.

- Martin Necas is having a dominant season as the league's second leading scorer with 41 points (14G, 27A) through 26 games this season. The 25-year-old forward is 12 points shy of matching last season’s point total of 53 points (24G, 29A) through 77 games. Necas, who was selected 12^th overall by the Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL Draft, signed a two-year extension with the Hurricanes in the offseason.

- The Hurricanes shook up their roster in the offseason, as some notable departures include Jake Guentzel, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stefan Noesen, Brett Pesce, Teuvo Teravainen and Brady Skjei, stocking up on several draft picks in return. Jack Roslovic was a key signing in the offsesaon, as the Hurricanes acquired the 27-year-old forward from the New York Rangers. Roslovic ranks second on the team in goals (13) and has 16 total points through 26 games this season for Carolina, which is the third Metropolitan team he’s played for in his career after playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets for parts of four seasons (2020-24).

- Forward Brendan Lemieux was placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of contract termination on Friday. The 28-year-old has not appeared in an NHL game this season and recorded five points (3G, 2A) through 32 games last year.

- The Hurricanes are powerful offensively, as their power play is ranked fourth in the NHL (28.2%) and they average 3.77 GF/GP.