Islanders vs Hurricanes Game 2 Odds
| Islanders Odds | +143 |
| Hurricanes Odds | -175 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 (+120 / -143) |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Game 1 between the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs went exactly as I suspected it would. These are two of the top five defensive teams in the NHL, with excellent goaltending, and it showed in the first game of this series.
The difference in this game turned out to be special teams. The Hurricanes scored both of their goals on the man advantage, and the Islanders failed to convert on their power-play opportunities.
Ilya Sorokin and Antti Raanta had a very strong showing, and I expect them to keep that up.
Can New York Islanders Fix Offense?
The New York Islanders need to figure out their man-advantage unit if they're going to have any success in the postseason. They failed to convert on their four attempts on Monday night.
Had they found a way to score on one of those, who knows how different the outcome would have been?
Luckily for the Islanders, Sorokin continues to stand on his head. He allowed two goals against on the 37 shots, but he skated to a .946 save percentage and a 2.05 goals against average along with a +1.5 goals saved above expected.
The Islanders aren't known to be a very offensive team despite having some scoring threats such as Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson. Mat Barzal also made his return to the lineup in Game 1 after missing time due to injury, but these three were all held off the scoresheet.
Stars Shine for Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are just as much of a defensively minded team as the New York Islanders are, but they were able to convert on their power-play opportunities.
The Canes' three players whom they need to produce in order to help carry them through the playoffs are Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas and Brent Burns.
All three of these players found the scoresheet in Game 1, and that's what you need in the playoffs: your best players to be your best players.
Antti Raanta had a strong showing in between the pipes, stopping 25 of the 26 shots that he faced. He is going to have to be at his best in this series considering the fact that he is going up against one of the best netminders in the NHL on the other side.
Islanders vs. Hurricanes Pick
As far as picks go, I feel that this series has the most obvious play out of all of the first-round matchups.
Neither team scores, nor do they allow many goals in the first period. The under in the first period was a bit of a sweat in Game 1 after an early power-play goal by Carolina, but I expect the opening 20 minutes to be a battle just like we saw on Monday night.
In the opening frame, the Islanders are averaging 0.67 goals for and 0.70 goals against. The Hurricanes are averaging 1.00 goals for (because of their goal in Game 1) and 0.61 goals against in the first period.
I love this play and will continue to ride it. I have put my trust in the goaltenders and team defense.
Pick: Under 1.5, Period 1 (-134 at BetRivers)
