The regular season has officially come to an end, and the playoffs begin on Saturday, April 20. The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes are set to have a rematch of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs that saw the Hurricanes come out on top in six games. While many fans believe the same result is set to occur, there are a few players on each side who could sway the results in either team’s favor.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Canes have a few players who could be viewed as x-factors, such as Martin Necas, Seth Jarvis, and Jake Guentzel. The defense is elite, and the forward core can be, too. It will just be a matter of if they show up. However, there is one giant question mark surrounding the team, and that is goaltending.
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The season began with Frederik Andersen as the starter before he missed five months with blood clotting. At that point, the goaltending tandem became Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kochetkov. Raanta lasted just over a month in the NHL before getting placed on waivers, then earned a call-up to the NHL for a few weeks. However, he last played in the NHL on Feb. 8. Kochetkov took the helm as the starter, playing to a respectable 23-13-4 record with a .911 save percentage (SV%) and 2.33 goals against average (GAA). He has been shaky at times, leading to uncertainty for head coach Rod Brind’Amour.
The series, and ultimately the playoffs, for the Canes, will come down to their goaltenders. Andersen is expected to be the starting goaltender, but the team could make a change mid-series, just like they did last playoffs. Andersen has had a great season since returning from injury, but the playoffs are a tough test, and the red-hot Islanders could chase him out of the crease. He has a 13-2-0 record with a .932 SV% and 1.84 GAA but has played just 16 games. If he can continue this success and keep his stamina will be the question, but if he does, it is hard to imagine anyone can take down the Hurricanes.
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders were one of the most inconsistent teams this season, with multiple long-losing streaks and two six-game winning streaks. Since Patrick Roy was named head coach, the team went 20-12-5, a near 100-point pace in an 82-game season. They went 8-0-1 in April, leading the NHL in both wins and points in the standings. They have been dominant as of late and should not be written off as an easy opponent. In their recent stretch, they have taken down top teams such as the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers, so they have proven they can compete with anyone.
This success has been a result of their middle-six forwards showing up big, especially the line of Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Pierre Engvall, to finish the season. According to Money Puck, the three played just 53.2 minutes together but finished with a 60.7 expected goals percentage, the second-best of any line combination on the team with more than 50 minutes together.
The line has ignited offensive production from a line that was abysmal this season and is showing no signs of slowing down. If the team can get continued success from its goaltending and top-end stars, as well as the third line, there is no reason to believe they cannot make a deep playoff run like they have in the past. For Carolina, playing to their strengths and finding goaltending is all they need to do to take down the Islanders, but that will not be easy given the Islanders’ recent success and hard-nosed resiliency. In a series expected to be lopsided, do not be surprised if the teams face off for six or seven games.