Game Preview: Islanders at Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (0-0-0) VS. CAROLINA HURRICANES (0-0-0)
7 P.M. | PNC ARENA
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Let's get this show on the road.
The 2021-22 season is officially underway as the New York Islanders embark on a historic 13-game road trip before returning to Long Island on Nov. 20 to unveil their brand-new home at UBS Arena. In the meantime, their journey begins with the first stop at Raleigh, North Carolina to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.

"Going on the road will actually be a good thing for us," Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "We've been at home for quite a while. An early road trip is always good, and it will be good for this group. It's a good challenge. I look at the first two teams that we're playing; we've got Carolina and Florida. Those will be good benchmark-type of games. Should engage us real quickly. Hopefully, we'll have some success. We're very capable of it."
Due to the circumstances of the pandemic and last year's division-only play, Thursday marks the first Islanders-Hurricanes game since March 7, 2020, which was also the Islanders final home game before the 2020 pause. In that last meeting, the Canes picked up a 3-2 win in overtime.
Safe to say over the last year and a half, there's been some sizable changes to both lineups. The Hurricanes have overhauled their crease and have seen notable changes up front and to their defensive corps. While the Islanders have maintained relative more continuity, they too have made some big additions over the past 18 months.
Following last year's run to the Stanley Cup Semifinal which resulted in Game 7 heartbreak to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in Tampa Bay, the Islanders are taking on this season with vengeance. Carolina was knocked out of the Second Round (Game 5) of the Stanley Cup Playoffs also by Tampa.
Both teams are entering this season refreshed, energized and hungry. Thursday's matchup is expected to be a hard-fought battle between the two Metropolitan Division foes to kick off the 2021-22 season.
And away we go!

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders have retained virtually the same lineup as last season as they had five players; forwards Anthony Beauvillier, Casey Cizikas and Kyle Palmieri, defenseman Adam Pelech and goaltender Ilya Sorokin, all re-sign multi-year contracts.
• The team also welcomed a few familiar seasons to the team during the offseason with the additions of forward Zach Parise and defenseman Zdeno Chara in the wake of some offseason losses (Nick Leddy to Detroit via trade and Jordan Eberle to Seattle in the NHL Expansion Draft). Throughout training camp and much of preseason, Parise has skated alongside Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom, while Chara (44) has frequently been paired with Noah Dobson (21), who is 23 years his junior.
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• As far as injuries, the Islanders enter the 2021-22 season in relatively good shape. Captain Anders Lee is cleared to play after recovering from ACL surgery that kept him sidelined since March of last season. Pageau is healthy and ready to go after his offseason hand surgery. The only two regulars who are 'doubtful' per Trotz to be ready for Thursday's game are winger Matt Martin (lower body) and Semyon Varlamov (soreness.) Martin underwent ankle surgery in the offseason and is 'close' to a return, while Varlamov is tending to a nagging injury that, 'is nothing of concern.'
• The Islanders' identity as a team is one of the strongest in the NHL. That starts with the team's disciplined and well-defined structure to where they pride themselves on their defense and no-quit mentality. Last year, the team finished with the second fewest goals against average in the league of 2.23.
• The Islanders ranked third in hits last season with 1,455 - with Cal Clutterbuck (191) and Martin (181) leading the way.
• The Islanders were also one of the top teams in the NHL for their penalty kill as they ranked sixth overall (83.7%) and in the circle where they produced the ninth best FOW% (51.4%). Pageau led the Islanders in faceoffs (833) and with FOW% (56.7%).
• In the last four seasons, Mathew Barzal has led the Islanders in scoring with his most recent campaign totaling 45 points (17G, 28A) in 55 games last year.
• Varlamov and Sorokin combined for the most shutouts among goalie tandems with 10, seven from Varlamov and three from Sorokin.
• As a team, the Islanders also established a new franchise shutout record at 212:35, as they went between goals from April 24 to May 3. The previous record was 199:14, set back in 1997-98.
• Going on the road for 13-straight games makes for an obvious challenge for the Islanders, who were an excellent team at home last season. They were one of just five teams to obtain 21 wins on home ice and finished last year's 56-game campaign with a 21-4-3 home record. That being said, the determined group is embracing the challenge ahead.

CANES NOTES:

• The Canes enter this year's season with a sizable number of changes to their lineup. Most recently, Carolina stunned the hockey world on Aug. 28 as they signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi formerly of Montreal, to an offer sheet. Montreal didn't match and Kotkaniemi is now a member of the Canes. Prior to that, Carolina welcomed forward Derek Stepan, defensemen Ethan Bear, Tony DeAngelo, Ian Cole, Eric Gelinas and Brendan Smith, goaltenders Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta in the offseason.
• Defenseman Dougie Hamilton, goaltenders Petr Mrazek, James Reimer and - Calder Trophy finalist - Alex Nedeljkovic, and forward Warren Foegele were among the notable players to depart Carolina in the offseason.
• Sebastian Aho led the Canes in scoring last season with 57 points (24G, 33A) through 56 games.
• Last season, Carolina's special teams were some of the best in the NHL. The Canes boasted the second-best power play in the league last season with a 25.6% conversion rate. They ranked third overall on the penalty kill, killing off 85.2%.
• Carolina produced some of the highest shots per game as they ranked fifth overall with a 32-shot nightly average and had the eighth-fewest shots against with 28.2.
• The Canes were also one of the best teams in the faceoff circle with their third-ranked FOW% at 53.9%.
• Carolina, like the Islanders, was also a strong team on home ice. The Canes finished the season with 20 wins at home and a 20-3-5 record.