NY Islanders aim to snap four game winless streak in Carolina versus Hurricanes

The New York Islanders will aim to break their four-game winless streak (0-2-2) when they face the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday evening in Raleigh. The Islanders currently trail the New York Rangers by three points for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference after the Blueshirts' 6-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night. The Isles have two games in hand.

The Isles are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where they attempted to rally from a 4-0 deficit but ultimately fell short. Ryan Pulock, Marc Gatcomb, and Tony DeAngelo all scored in the third period, but the Isles were unable to capitalize on opportunities to tie the game late while playing 6-on-5 before the Lightning sealed the win on a Jake Guentzel empty-net goal. Nikita Kucherov continued his scorching hot play with a goal and three assists.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are fresh off a 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, with Jackson Blake (son of former Islander star Jason) leading the charge with a three-point performance (1G, 2A). The Canes have 92 points this season and are firmly in second place in the Metropolitan Division behind the Washington Capitals. Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour's team has maintained their regular season success despite a year that has been disrupted by first trading Martin Necas to Colorado in a blockbuster for star Mikko Rantanen only to have to trade him to Dallas at the trade deadline when he wouldn't sign a long-term extension to stay in Carolina.

The Islanders hold a 2-1-0 advantage over the Hurricanes this season, but Carolina shut them out 4-0 in their last meeting at Lenovo Center on Dec. 17. The Isles defeated them 3-2 in OT on Jan. 25 at UBS Arena in their previous matchup. Carolina has a league-best 28 wins on home ice this season (28-8-1). Backup goaltender Marcus Hogberg will be between the pipes for the Islanders, while the Canes will start backup Pyotr Kochetkov.