Slapshot Game Preview: New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders
11/5/26
7 PM

SHOT #1: Isles Back at It

By the time the puck drops against the Hurricanes, the Islanders will have gone four days between games.

The last time fans saw the Islanders on the ice was Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers. It was clear from the start that the Isles were a tired hockey team. The Oilers outshot the Islanders 25-18 en route to a decisive 4-0 victory.

What stood out most from the game was the disjointed nature of the contest. The Isles spent 33 minutes in the penalty box, making it difficult to establish any real offensive flow.

Matthew Schaefer saw his point streak end at six games and played less total ice time than has been the norm. This was perhaps another indication of the recent schedule, but it isn’t altogether a bad thing to reduce Schaefer’s ice time when possible. It’s a long season.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes are third in the NHL in scoring, averaging 3.76 goals per game. In their recent win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Hurricanes scored in bunches, scoring four goals in the second period.

It will be telling early on how much rejuvenation the four days off provided the Isles as the game progresses against a very offensively proficient opponent.

Look for the Isles to come out strong after four days off, but also maintain their pace against the Hurricanes to prevent a period like the second period in Carolina’s win over the Jets.

SHOT #2: Carolina Does a Lot of Things Well

Maybe suggesting that the defending Stanley Cup champions do a lot of things well is a bit of an understatement.

In addition to being an offensive force, the Hurricanes have been stingy in net as well. They’re currently second in the NHL, allowing only 2.29 goals per game.

Carolina is in the conversation for the most complete team in the NHL. One of the factors driving this designation is the team’s depth. During a recent stretch without Taylor Hall, the Hurricanes had won six of eight games without the forward before dropping a game Sunday in Nashville against the Predators.

Despite not playing against Nashville, Hall did skate prior to the game. Carolina head coach Rod Brind'Amour is optimistic that Hall could play against the Isles, per CBS Sports.

The Hurricanes have also been without their captain, Jordan Staal, last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner, since mid-October.

Speaking about the injury, Brind’Amour said, "It's going to be a long-term injury, really. It's going to be anywhere from a month to two months.”

Even without their captain and after a stretch without Taylor Hall, Carolina enters its game against the Islanders with a record of 12-3-2, sitting atop the Eastern Conference.

SHOT #3: Preventing Shorthanded Goals

As if the Islanders didn’t have enough to worry about with Carolina’s offensive prowess and stingy goaltending, they’re also going to be dealing with a Hurricanes team that is no stranger to scoring shorthanded goals.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Carolina is tied for second in the NHL in shorthanded goals.

The Hurricanes' shorthanded scoring is primarily driven by two players: Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. Looking back to the start of the 2025-2026 season, you won't find any player in the NHL with more shorthanded points than Aho or Jarvis, who have nine and seven points, respectively, per Peter Dewar.

On their end, the Islanders have yet to allow a shorthanded goal this season.

Considering everything the Isles will have to contend with against the Hurricanes, not allowing a shorthanded goal might be a requirement.

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