Islanders at Hurricanes preview
New York looks to bounce back; Williams to make season debut for Carolina
by Kurt Dusterberg / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
ISLANDERS (28-15-4) at HURRICANES (27-18-3)
5 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-CR, MSG+, NHL.TV
The Game
Justin Williams will make his season debut for the Carolina Hurricanes against the New York Islanders at PNC Arena on Sunday.
The 38-year-old forward signed a one-year contract Jan. 7 after announcing Sept. 2 that he was taking some time away from the NHL. Williams was Carolina's captain last season, when he had 53 points (23 goals, 30 assists) in 82 games.
Goalie James Reimer is expected to start for the Hurricanes, who have lost three games in a row (0-2-1).
The Islanders will try to bounce back from a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. They led 4-1 entering the third period.
New York has lost two in a row and is 1-3-1 in its past five games.
Players to watch
Islanders forward Brock Nelson has four goals and two assists during a four-game point streak.
Hurricanes forward Justin Williams has 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 53 games against the Islanders.
They said it
"You can't take your foot off the pedal. We had to make hard plays. We didn't do that. There's a level that you have to raise when the game is on the line, and we didn't raise it. It's a tough loss, no question. It stings. We'll try to right our wrong [Sunday] night." -- Islanders coach Barry Trotz after blowing a three-goal lead and losing to the Capitals
"It's just a little bit of time off, and most of the other guys in the League have a step on you, a little more seasoning. I've got to play catch-up. I'm nervous before every game I play. I'm going to have nerves, but the one thing you never question is your ability. I'm going to go out there, work my tail off, and let my instincts take over." -- Hurricanes forward Justin Williams
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Josh Bailey
Michael Dal Colle -- Derick Brassard -- Tom Kuhnhackl
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Leo Komarov
Nick Leddy -- Ryan Pulock
Devon Toews -- Scott Mayfield
Noah Dobson -- Johnny Boychuk
Thomas Greiss
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Sebastian Aho, Ross Johnston
Injured: Adam Pelech (Achilles), Cal Clutterbuck (wrist)
Hurricanes projected lineup
Warren Foegele -- Sebastian Aho -- Teuvo Teravainen
Andrei Svechnikov -- Jordan Staal -- Nino Niederreiter
Ryan Dzingel -- Erik Haula -- Martin Necas
Brock McGinn -- Lucas Wallmark -- Justin Williams
Jaccob Slavin -- Joel Edmundson
Jake Gardiner -- Brett Pesce
Trevor van Riemsdyk -- Haydn Fleury
James Reimer
Petr Mrazek
Scratched: Jordan Martinook
Injured: Dougie Hamilton (fractured left leg)
Status report
Each team will play its third game in four days. ... The Hurricanes are likely to change all four of their lines for the third straight game. ... Martinook, a forward who has gone 17 games without a goal, is expected to be a healthy scratch for the first time in 30 games since returning from a lower-body injury Nov. 16.
Stat pack
Beauvillier has two goals and three assists during a three-game point streak. … Eberle has five points (three goals, two assists) in the past four games. … Haula has gone eight games without a goal, and Dzingel has gone seven. … Niederreiter has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 10 games against the Islanders.