It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The playoffs have arrived, and we have some exciting matchups this year. We are going to start with my boys, the New York Islanders where they have a 1st round rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Islanders come into this series as the 3rd seed in the Metro Division and the Hurricanes are the 2nd seed. The Canes will have home ice advantage and game 1 will be played at PNC Arena.
New York was fighting for a playoff spot a few weeks ago and then went 8-2-0 in their last 10 games to not only get in, but to get in and not be a wild card. The Isles won their last 2 games of the season, just coming off a 5-4 win over the Penguins.
Now that it is the playoffs, it’s like a whole new season. You take everything game by game and don’t look too far ahead. This is one of the main things that work in the Islanders favor because the history vs the Hurricanes has been tough.
Last year, the Hurricanes beat the Islanders 4-2 in the 1st round, and they also met in 2019 where the Canes swept the Isles in the 2nd round. New York will look to change things this year.
Can Carolina power through New York or will this year be different?
The Hurricanes won the last game vs the Islanders 4-1. The 2 teams split the season series 2-2 and as mentioned before, this is a repeat matchup from last year’s playoffs.
Carolina has had the Islanders number, which is definitely a concern for the series. They have one of the top offenses in the league and a smothering defense to go along with it.
I think the Canes will try to come out screaming, but both teams will take a bit to settle down. Carolina is no joke, so the Islanders will need to work to keep the game under control.
Carolina’s Frederik Andersen has been red hot since his return from injury. He is 9-1-0 in his last 10 starts and is averaging 1.3 GAA in those 10 games. On the other hand, Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov has also been hot as of late, winning his last 5 starts.
Key Takeaways:
Let’s check out the odds and get into some picks.
New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes Betting Odds and Game Information
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New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction and Picks
New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction and Pick: Game Total Under 5.5 Goals (-120) Get 50% up to $1000 Deposit on BetOnline for this pick
These 2 teams are very familiar with each other, and this should be a very tight game. I expect both teams to be on their toes defensively to start this game.
I think the 2 starting goalies will keep this game under. The Islanders can play a slow, tight game like they used to and if they can do that, Carolina won’t score 5 goals.
For a side in this game, I lean with the Hurricanes to take the 1st game at home. The Islanders have their work cut out for them, but it is doable to win this series. I just don’t think they win this game.
The Canes moneyline is too juicy at this point, so we’re taking the game total under as our play here and for the value. Look for a slow game and we get our low total.
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