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3 Keys to the NY Islanders Beating the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1

By Michael Stahurski |
Carolina Hurricanes v New York Islanders
Carolina Hurricanes v New York Islanders / Bruce Bennett/GettyImages
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Over the NY Islanders' last four playoff appearances, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes have been a thorn in the organization's side, each eliminating the Isles twice. Beginning Saturday, the Islanders and Hurricanes will meet in the playoffs for the third time in six seasons.

The 'Canes swept the Isles in the second round in 2019 and advanced in six games last season after an OT winner in a decisive game 6.

This year the Islanders are heading into the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the league, riding an 8-0-1 record over their last nine games. The one issue is they're running into a Hurricanes team that's as hot, with a 13-3-1 record over their last 17.

The Islanders will need to continue their current run of play if they hope to advance in the postseason and will need a few bounces to go their way.

Here are three keys to the Islanders defeating the Hurricanes in round one.

Goaltending

A strong suit for the Islanders over the past few seasons, the team's goaltending took a dip this year. Coming off a season he finished runner-up for the Vezina Trophy, Ilya Sorokin has been in the midst of the worst season of his career, posting a 3.01 GAA and .909 SV% - well below his career averages.

On March 28th in a game against the Florida Panthers, Patrick Roy turned to Semyon Varlamov as his number one goaltender, who led the Islanders to a 9-1-1 record over the final 11 games of the season, with Varlamov going 6-1 over that span.

All signs point to Varlamov being named the starter for Game 1, but Sorokin will likely play a factor if the Isles hopes to advance. Any signs of struggle out of Varlamov and there's little doubt that Roy will turn to the goaltender who'll spend the next eight seasons on Long Island.

The Islanders will go up against Fredrik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov in goal for the Hurricanes. Andersen only played 16 games all season, missing time due to a blood clot issue. Despite his limited time on the ice, Andersen finished the season 13-2-0 with a .932 SV% and 1.84 GAA. Kochetkov carried the load for most of the season, starting 40 games. In his first full NHL season, he finished with an impressive .911 SV% and 2.33 GAA.

Andersen is the presumed starter in Game 1 and the Isles will need to get to him early if they're to find offensive success.

Going up against the 8th-best team in terms of goals per game with 3.38, Varlamov and Sorokin will need to outperform their counterparts and not allow cheap goals, as this Hurricanes team is too good to allow free goals.

Special Teams

On opposite sides statistically in terms of special teams, the Islanders have to find a way to keep the game at even strength for as long as possible.

The Hurricanes are the NHL's top team on special teams, finishing the season second in power play percentage (26.9%) and first on the penalty kill (86.4%). In comparison, the Islanders finished the regular season with a 20.4% success rate on the power play, 19th in the league, and dead last on the penalty kill at 71.5%.

The penalty kill has been the Hurricanes' biggest strength, finishing in the top 5 in each of the last five seasons. There's a noticeable difference between the two teams while short-handed, as the Islanders play a more passive style, while the 'Canes like to pressure the puck carrier, forcing the opposition into turnovers.

The Islanders' power play started the season on fire, once ranked in the top 10. In this series they'll need to return the form they were in earlier in the season, just to put some pressure on Carolina. The way the power play has been of late, it won't be much of a disadvantage for the 'Canes.

The Islanders' penalty kill has been abysmal all season, needing to stop the bleeding immediately, or else they'll be looking at an early exit. The best recipe for short-handed success is to stay at even strength, but when they find themselves a man down, they'll need to cut off the cross-ice passing lanes, keeping the puck to one side of the ice as often as possible. There's also the adage that your goalie needs to be your best penalty killer, which couldn't be more true for this Islanders team.

Continued Success from the Middle-6 Forwards

There's little doubt that Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat will be on their game come Game 1 as they have all season, but the secondary forwards need to continue their current run of form.

Kyle Palmieri has been the Islanders MVP over the second half of the season, scoring 15 goals over the last 23 games, joining Horvat and Brock Nelson as 30-goal scorers. Over his four seasons in blue and orange, Palmieri has been wildly inconsistent but is playing some of the best hockey of his career right now. He'll have to be an integral part if the Islanders are to have any success in the postseason.

Few forwards on this team have been criticized as much as Pierre Engvall this season, mostly due to the 7-year extension he signed in the off-season.

His numbers have been wildly unimpressive this season scoring just 10 goals and adding 18 assists, but has found his groove over the last six games, scoring once and adding four assists. He's been much more noticeable on the ice, using his speed to create and cause havoc on the forecheck.

Engvall's speed is his greatest asset and he'll need to have it on full display against the feisty Hurricanes.

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