Preview: Round 1, Game 3 at NYI

ELMONT, NY. - The Carolina Hurricanes look to claim a 3-0 series lead on Thursday when they take on the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

-

When: Thursday, April 25

Puck Drop: 7:30 p.m. ET

Series: Carolina Leads 2-0

Watch: ESPN2, SN360, TVAS

Listen: 99.9 The Fan, Hurricanes App

Odds at Time of Publishing, Provided By Fanatics Sportsbook: Canes -155

The Series So Far

• Game 1: Frederik Andersen stops 33 out of 34 shots faced, backstopping the Canes to a series-opening victory.
• Game 2: The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Carolina responded with five answered goals to take a thrilling come-from-behind victory.

Last Time Out

• Despite being the better team in the first period, the Canes trailed 2-0 at the end of 20 minutes on Monday. New York extended their lead to three to start the second but then tried to sit on it for the final 35+ minutes. It didn't work. Carolina chipped and chipped away, getting on the board before the game moved to the third.
• Seth Jarvis brought the Canes within one midway through the final frame of regulation and then goals from Sebastian Aho with the extra attacker on, and Jordan Martinook just nine seconds apart put the Canes in front.
• Jake Guentzel capped things off with an empty netter, closing out the 5-3 win.
• According to NHL Stats, Monday’s game marked just the seventh instance in league history of a team scoring a game-tying and go-ahead goal in the final three minutes of a playoff game.
• In total, the Canes had 110 shot attempts, and the Islanders had just 28.
• Frederik Andersen became the first goalie since 2008 to earn a full-game playoff win with fewer than 10 saves (9).

Defense Wins Championships

• The Canes held the Islanders to just 12 shots on goal in Game 2, marking the fewest shots allowed in any game in franchise history and tied for the ninth-fewest allowed by any team in a playoff game in NHL history.
• They allowed just five shots over the final two regulation periods, becoming the sixth team over the last 20 years to accomplish that feat.

At Home On The Road

• Games 3-4 of the series take place at UBS Arena, where the Canes have earned a 5-0-0 regular-season record and a 2-1 playoff record.
• Carolina is 4-1 on the road against New York in the playoffs, after also earning a 2-0 record at Barclays Center in 2019.
• The Canes posted a 25-12-4 record on the road this season, marking the third-highest road points percentage in any season in franchise
  history.

In Net

• Frederik Andersen made back-to-back starts for the first time since returning from a blood-clotting issue in early March.
• He allowed three goals on the first nine shots, but had one test in the remaining 34:56.
• Will the Canes turn to him in search of a third consecutive W, or will they turn back to Pyotr Kochetkov, who has now not played in 11 days?
• There's a case to be made either way, especially with the two-day gap between games.
• If it is Kochetkov, he went 19-7-3 after December 12, posting a .923 save percentage that was the best among any Eastern Conference goaltender who played 30 games.

On The Other Side

• The most notable change for New York going into Game 3 is that they will turn to Ilya Sorokin between the pipes after going with Semyon Varlamov for Games 1 & 2.
• Varlamov stopped 23/25 to start the series and 34/38 in Game 2, but suffered the loss in both outings.
• Sorokin was the workhorse for the Isles all season long, playing 56 out of 82 games, and is now called upon to try and spin the series around for his club.
• In front of him, Matt Martin, who was involved in Monday's late-game shenanigans, did not practice on Wednesday. AHL All-Star Ruslan Iskhakov was skating in that spot per Andrew Gross of Newsday.com.
• Hudson Fasching, who did not play in Game 2, was also back in the mix, taking the spot held by Simon Holmstrom.

Injury Updates

• Forward Jesper Fast suffered an upper-body injury on Tuesday, April 16. He has not practiced since and did not play in Game 1 or Game 2. President & General Manager Don Waddell said that it is not a concussion and he should only be sidelined a matter of days.
• Defenseman Brett Pesce is likely to miss the rest of Round 1 after suffering a lower-body injury during Game 2.

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.

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 Friday before returning to action on Saturday for Game 4.

Worth A Click

Playoff Notebook: Pesce 'Likely Out' For The Rest of Round 1

Playoff Notebook: Looking Further Into The Game 2 Chaos

CanesCast Episode 282: Comeback Sauce

Aho Named Chiasson Award Winner

Carolina Hurricanes Foundation To Donate $350,000 For Stanley Cup Playoffs Campaign

Slavin Named King Clancy Memorial Trophy Nominee

Listen: The Storm Report - Jackson Blake

Slavin, Staal & PNC Arena Receive NHLPA Player Poll Votes

Must-See: Svechnikov's Third Career Lacrosse Goal

Canes End Regular Season Having Sold Out Each Home Game

Round One Playoff Tickets