Former Islander Calvin de Haan remembers the Coliseum well.
"This is an awesome building to play in. It was fun," he said. "It's loud in here and intimidating. When that crowd is going, it can really send chills down your spine. It's a fun place to play. I really enjoyed it."
This match-up, his fourth and final of the regular season against his former team, will still be a bit different, then.
"Yeah, I think so. It was strange being on the other end of the Barclays rink," he said. "It's nostalgic. It brings back some good memories. I was able to start my career here, and I'm very fortunate for the opportunity I had."
The Last Meeting
Following a pair of 2-1 losses to the New York Islanders in October - one in overtime on Opening Night and the other in regulation later in the month - the Canes dropped a 4-1 decision at Barclays Center in late November. The Islanders scored on their first two shots of the game to take a 2-0 lead and never looked back, snapping the Canes' three-game winning streak.
The Opposition
As hot as the Canes currently are, the Islanders are hotter. They bring a six-game winning streak into tonight's game, and they've won nine of their last 10 games. Goaltender Robin Lehner was named the NHL's third star of the week on Monday after posting a 3-0-0 record, a 1.99 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in three games.
"They capitalize every time you mess up. It's crazy," Brind'Amour said. "We've got to be really tight on that. We'll make them earn them. We don't want to give them odd-man rush chances because they've got talent to put it in the back of your net."
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS KEYS TO THE GAME
