Game Preview: Islanders vs Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (7-5-2) VS CAROLINA HURRICANES (12-3-2)  

7:00 P.M. | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS   

HOW TO WATCH/STREAM: ESPN+, HULU, DISNEY+ 

HOW TO LISTEN: 88.7 FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | 92.5FM THE BEACON | ISLES + UBS ARENA APP 

The New York Islanders host the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. The Islanders will sport their Hometown Remix jerseys for the first time this season. 

The Isles finish a three-game stretch of facing first-place teams in their respective divisions, as the Canes currently sit atop the Metropolitan Division and lead the NHL with 26 points this season. 

The Islanders are coming off a 4-0 shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, in which the Islanders were shorthanded a season-high six times. The Isles were also held to a season-low 18 shots on net. Emil Heineman was assessed a game misconduct for kneeing just 2:22 into the first period but won’t face any supplemental punishment from the league.

The Hurricanes’ four-game winning streak was snapped in a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Jackson Blake tallied the lone Hurricanes’ goal while Pyotr Kochetkov recorded his first loss in net this season, after starting the season with 10 straight wins. Carolina moved to 7-2-1 on the road this season.

The Islanders have allowed 2.71 goals against per game, which is the fifth-best mark in the NHL. The Hurricanes have the second-best tally in the league, allowing just 2.21 goals against per game across their first 17 contests.

The Isles and Hurricanes are two elite defensive teams and the latter plays a cohesive, aggressive style in all three zones that makes transporting pucks into scoring areas difficult as recognized by Head Coach Pete DeBoer.

“I think when you're playing Carolina, you have to understand you're going to get heavy pressure, and you have to execute under pressure, and that's not just the defensemen; it's everybody,” DeBoer said. “They make you play a game where you have to win multiple one-on-one confrontations in order to advance the puck to the next spot, and in order to create a scoring chance, so I think if you get your head around that going into the game, it gives you a chance.”

PROJECTED LINEUP

Wednesday’s practice for the Isles had several familiar faces working their way back from injuries as Mathew Barzal, Matias Maccelli and Ryan Pulock all participated in non-contact jerseys. None of them are expected to play on Thursday against Carolina, and DeBoer said they’re all progressing on their respective timelines. 

Read a full breakdown from Wednesday’s practice on their return to the ice here. 

Note that Ben Hutton, who signed a PTO on Monday, can’t officially play games while on his PTO. Additionally, neither team has announced a starting goaltender.

Here’s what the lines looked like during Wednesday’s practice. 

Simon Holmström – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri   
Emil Heineman – Brayden Schenn – Victor Eklund   
Ondřej Palát – JG Pageau – Anthony Duclair   
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Mitchell Chaffee   

Logan Stanley – Matthew Schaefer  
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo   
Matt Kessel – Scott Mayfield    

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

EKLUND A POTENTIAL X-FACTOR FOR ISLES 

Isles rookie Victor Eklund can be an X-factor in this matchup and DeBoer compared Eklund’s fearless style of that of Carolina’s Logan Stankoven.  

“I see some similarities,” DeBoer said. “I mean, they're different body types.  “Stanky's just a tank, but they're both, I would use the word fearless. I would use the word relentless for both of them, and those are great characteristics to have.” 

DeBoer foresees Eklund’s style of play – which is engraved in determined forechecking and a willingness to initiate contact – matching up well against the Hurricanes.  

“He [Eklund] has been the one guy I think (has) probably been the biggest surprise to me because of his size,” DeBoer said. “How consistently he goes into those spaces, into those one-on-one battles, and comes out with pucks or wins the pinch and advances the puck, and that's what you have to do against a team like Carolina.  His game's built for that tomorrow night. I think we got to make sure the rest of our group is ready to do that too.” 

Eklund has recorded a team-high 39 hits across 14 games this season.

SCOUTING THE HURRICANES

The Hurricanes have recorded a plus-24 goal differential this season, the best margin in the league.  

Sebastian Aho leads the Canes this season with 21 points (9G, 12A). Aho is tied for 14th in the NHL in goals this season with four of his nine coming on the power play. He ranks second on the team in assists and has seven multi-point games.  

Jackson Blake is a point-per-game player through 17 games (4G, 13A) and is on a seven-game point streak, with nine points (3G, 6A) over that span. Blake leads the Canes in assists with 13.

Seth Jarvis opened this season recovering from injury, but since his 2026-27 debut on Oct. 22, Jarvis has recorded seven points (1G, 6A) in six games. Jarvis led the Hurricanes with 32 goals last season.  

The 2025-26 Conn Smythe winner and Hurricanes’ captain, Jordan Staal, is out with a torn calf muscle. Staal scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Finals, which is tied for a modern-day record.  

Taylor Hall is listed as day-to-day and has missed nine straight games. Hall suffered an upper-body injury during the Hurricanes’ 4-2 win against the Washington Capitals on October 13. In the eight games Hall appeared in, he recorded five points (3G, 2A).  

The Hurricanes' goalie tandem is split between Kochetkov and Brandon Bussi. Kochetkov opened the season with a franchise-best 10-game opening win streak which ended against the Predators.  

Kochetkov became the third goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first 10 games in a season. Kochetkov leads the NHL with a .922 save percentage. 

The Hurricanes signed Alexander Nikishin on Sunday, Oct. 25 to a one-year deal, but Nikishin has yet to make his debut this season. Nikishin is coming off a 33-point (11G, 22A) season.