Islanders at Hurricanes preview

ISLANDERS (0-0-0) at HURRICANES (0-0-0)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-CR, NHL.TV

The Game

Barry Trotz will coach his first game for the New York Islanders and Rod Brind'Amour will make his NHL coaching debut for the Carolina Hurricanes when the two teams open the 2018-19 season at PNC Arena on Thursday.
Trotz begins his tenure behind the New York bench after four seasons with the Washington Capitals, who won the Stanley Cup last season. Brind'Amour, who played in the NHL for 20 seasons, including 10 with Carolina, will be behind the bench for the first time in the League.
Andrei Svechnikov, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, will make his NHL debut as one of five rookie forwards (Martin Necas, Warren Foegele, Valentin Zykov, Lucas Wallmark) in the Hurricanes' lineup.
Defenseman Dougie Hamilton and forward Micheal Ferland each will play his first game for Carolina after being acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 23. Defenseman Calvin de Haan, who signed a four-year, $18.2 million contract (average annual value $4.55 million) with the Hurricanes on July 3, will make his Carolina debut after playing his first 304 NHL games with the Islanders.
Anders Lee, who begins his sixth season with New York, was named Islanders captain Thursday.

Players to watch

Islanders center Mathew Barzal, who won the Calder Trophy last season as NHL rookie of the year, led the Islanders in scoring with 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists).
Hurricanes forward Justin Williams, who turns 37 on Thursday, will play his first game as Carolina captain.

They said it

"The first three periods, let's play quick, let's play with lots of detail, let's play with commitment. If you do that, you have a chance to win. It's amped up a little bit now. You'll see guys rise to the occasion and you'll see guys fall." -- Islanders coach Barry Trotz
"This one counts, and I know I will be nervous. I will make my rookie mistakes too, just like we've got a young group and they will make mistakes. Learn from them and keep battling. That's what we want from our group." -- Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour

Islanders projected lineup

Anthony Beauvillier -- Mathew Barzal -- Josh Bailey
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Jordan Eberle
Leo Komarov -- Valtteri Filppula -- Tanner Fritz
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Thomas Hickey -- Nick Leddy
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Luca Sbisa -- Johnny Boychuk
Thomas Greiss
Robin Lehner
Scratched: Tom Kuhnhackl, Scott Mayfield, Ross Johnston
Injured:Andrew Ladd (upper body)

Hurricanes projected lineup

Michael Ferland -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen
Warren Foegele -- Jordan Staal -- Justin Williams
Brock McGinn -- Martin Necas -- Valentin Zykov
Jordan Martinook -- Lucas Wallmark -- Andrei Svechnikov
Jaccob Slavin -- Dougie Hamilton
Calvin de Haan -- Justin Faulk
Trevor van Riemsdyk -- Brett Pesce
Petr Mrazek
Curtis McElhinney
Scratched: Haydn Fleury, Phillip Di Giuseppe
Injured: Scott Darling (lower body), Victor Rask (hand)

Status report

Bailey sat out the morning skate with tightness in his lower back but said he was fully prepared to play. ... McElhinney was claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday to replace Darling, who is expected to miss two weeks with a strained hamstring.

Stat pack

Slavin has nine points (five goals, four assists) in 12 games against the Islanders.