Preview: Round 1, Game 1 vs. NYI

RALEIGH, NC. - The Carolina Hurricanes kick off their quest for a Stanley Cup on Saturday as their first-round series against the New York Islanders begins.

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When: Saturday, April 20

Puck Drop: 5 p.m. ET

Watch: Bally Sports South, Bally Sports App, TBS, TruTV, and Max

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, Provided By Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -230

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Canes Regular Season Record: 52-23-7 (111 Points, 2nd, Metropolitan Division)

Canes Last Game: 6-3 Loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, April 16

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Islanders Regular Season Record: 39-27-16 (94 Points, 3rd, Metropolitan Division)

Islanders Last Game: 5-4 Win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, April 17

Previous Meetings This Season

• November 4: The Canes trailed 3-0 in the second period, but came back to stun the Islanders and take a 4-3 overtime win on Long Island.
• November 30: Carolina outshot New York 43-16, but lost in overtime, 5-4.
• December 23: The Canes "were not sharp defensively" in a 5-4 loss to the Islanders at PNC Arena in their final game before the holiday break.
• March 19: Carolina scored three times in the first period, taking control early in a 4-1 victory at UBS Arena.

Last Time Out

• The Canes rested eight of their lineup regulars on Tuesday night in Columbus, taking a 6-3 loss in a relatively meaningless game.
• Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake both made their NHL debuts and Teuvo Teravainen scored twice.
• Spencer Martin suffered his first regulation loss as a member of the team, returning to the net for the first time in six weeks.

Who's Coming In Hot?

• Since coming aboard at the trade deadline, Jake Guentzel has been one of the best players in the National Hockey League.  Producing 25 points in 17 games, he enters tonight riding a Canes-best eight-game point streak.
• Known more for his superb defense, Jaccob Slavin also arrives at the postseason with seven points in his last six games.

Will History Repeat Itself?

• In last year's Round 1 meeting between these two teams, Sebastian Aho led Carolina with seven points in six games.
• Carolina's power play went 5-for-25 (20%) and the penalty kill went 17-for-18 (94.4%).

Playoff Performers

• Since the Rod Brind'Amour era began behind the bench in Raleigh, Aho leads all Canes with 58 points in 63 postseason games.
• Dating back to 2016, the newcomer Guentzel has the same amount of points in 58 games.  With one Stanley Cup already under his belt, what will he be able to contribute during his first run at it in Raleigh?

In Net

• Aside from Tuesday in Columbus, the Canes rotated between Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov for the final 20 games of the regular season.
• Judging by practice the past two days, it looks likely that Andersen will get the nod in Game 1.
• He's been fantastic since returning from a blood clotting issue that forced him out for four months, going 9-1 with a .951 save percentage dating back to March 7.
• In 15 career regular season games against the Islanders, Andersen is 10-4-1.
• Andersen won his only appearance during last year's first-round series against New York, allowing just one goal.

On The Other Side

• Since March 25, the Islanders have been the hottest team in the NHL.  9-1-1 in their last 11 games, they've picked up wins over playoff teams like Florida, Nashville, and the New York (Rangers).
• While none of their team statistics jump off the page during that run, they outscored opponents 34-23 during that time and Kyle Palmieri has led the way with 12 points in those 11 contests.
• They allowed more than two goals just three times, and under Patrick Roy's structure, they just don't give up a lot.
• Although Ilya Sorokin has carried things in net most of the regular season, Semyon Varlamov enters 8-1-1 in his last 10 appearances, producing a .930 SV% in those games.

Injury Updates

• Forward Jesper Fast suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday, April 16. He did not practice Thursday or Friday.

What Are We Wearing?

• The team will be wearing their black sweaters for all home games during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and white for all road games.

Additional Game Information

• Coming to tonight's game? Save $15 on parking by purchasing in advance. Click here to buy.
• Want to remember tonight forever? Purchase a commemorative ticket here.

Where To Watch

• Can't make it to PNC Arena, or looking for a place to watch the road games in the series?
• Visit any Carolina Ale House in the state to watch the Canes throughout the playoffs.

What's Next After This Game?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice on Sunday and will return to action on Monday for Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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