For the sixth season in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes have clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and in the first round of this year’s battle for the cup, the Canes will take on a familiar foe.
Once again, the Hurricanes (52-23-7) will battle against the New York Islanders (39-27-16) in the first round of the playoffs. Last year, the two Metropolitan division teams also faced off in the first round with the Canes taking the series 4-2. Although the Islanders clinched third in the Metro, the gap between the two teams is larger than it was last year.
The two teams split the season series with two wins apiece, including three games where the difference was just one goal. Only one game has happened between the two teams since the trade deadline where the Hurricanes acquired center Jake Guentzel who had three points in the 4-1 win.
Carolina is a very different team now than in the three games they played against the Islanders in November and December. Goaltending and defense have gone from an Achilles’ heel to a strength. The Canes are also getting lots of production from their top line.
Guentzel is over a point-per-game pace and has led the team in points since he joined the team a month ago. Center Sebastian Aho leads the team in goals, assists and points while setting a new career-high with 89 points in the regular season. Center Seth Jarvis is having a career year himself with 33 goals, the 22-year-old is on a point-per-game pace over the last 17 games.
Only center Matthew Barzal is at a point-per-game pace for the New York Islanders with 80 points in as many games. The Hurricanes have become an elite scoring team and with one of the best defensive cores in the league, the Islanders will have their hands full.
Special teams will play a massive role in the outcome of this series. The Islanders have the worst penalty-kill percentage in the league this season at 71.5% while the Hurricanes set a franchise record for season power play percentage with 26.9%. That figure is the second-best among all NHL teams this season.
In the playoffs, the refs tend to swallow their whistle which creates a more physical game. Because of this, opportunities on the man-advantage will be less so the Hurricanes must punish a struggling penalty-kill when they get the chance.
Playoff hockey also ramps up the game’s physicality, so the Hurricanes will need to be prepared to dish out hits and absorb them. The open spaces on the ice shrink faster so to create goal-scoring chances, the puck has to be played quicker than normal.
Don’t be surprised if, at the end of the Canes’ playoff run, Guentzel is the leading point-scorer on the team. He processes the game insanely fast and in the playoffs when every game becomes a sprint, players like him continue to find ways to score.
Carolina will have its hands full going up against Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin in the opposite crease.
Sorokin is another one of those players who has that elite goaltending level he can reach if his team needs it. Although the Hurricanes found ways to beat Sorokin last year, who is to say they will have similar success this time around?
The Islanders are riding a hot streak coming into the postseason by going 8-1-1 over their last 10 games played. Winning the first game, especially because it’s at home, will set the Canes up to take the series by halting New York’s momentum.
Game one will be played on Saturday, April 20 at 5 p.m. at PNC Arena — the first game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
