2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Hurricanes vs. Islanders 1st-round preview

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Monday.
Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference First Round between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.

(1M) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC1) New York Islanders

Hurricanes: 52-21-9, 113 points
Islanders: 42-31-9, 93 points
Season series: CAR 3-1-0; NYI 1-3-0
Game 1:Monday at Carolina (7 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2)
The Carolina Hurricanes' quest to take next step in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference First Round.
Carolina hasn't advanced past the second round since sweeping the Islanders in four games to reach the 2019 Eastern Conference Final. So, after finishing first in their division for the third straight season, including the past two in the Metropolitan Division, the Hurricanes know they can't be satisfied.
"That's a big accomplishment, 82 games to be the best in your division, and the division we're in, that says a lot," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "But it's not what we're about. It's not what we came to do. Everyone is kind of like, 'Eh, it's OK.' But we've got bigger things that we, obviously, want to accomplish."
The Islanders are back in the playoffs after not qualifying last season and will rely on their experience from reaching the Eastern Conference Final and Stanley Cup Semifinals in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
"I'm super excited," New York captain Anders Lee said. "It's been a long year here to get to this point. It took us all 82 (games to qualify), so now to be back in, back to where we feel like we belong, now we've got to go to work here."
The Islanders will have their hands full with the Hurricanes, though; only the Boston Bruins, who set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points, had more wins and points than Carolina.
"It's going to be a hard-fought series, I think, no matter who you play, but Carolina is a tough team to play against," New York center Bo Horvat said. "They play, obviously, a hard game. They're relentless on the forecheck and even in the [defensive] zone, so they're pretty solid all the way through their lineup. But I think we match up well against them. We've got to be at our best."

Game breakers

Hurricanes:Sebastian Aho led Carolina in goals for the sixth straight season (36) and was second in points with 67 (Martin Necas, 71) in 75 games. Aho, a forward, has 46 points (18 goals, 28 assists) in 48 career playoff games. With forward Andrei Svechnikov (23 goals) out after having season-ending knee surgery, there will be even more focus on Aho.

Islanders:Mathew Barzal's
return from a lower-body injury
that sidelined the forward since Feb. 18 will be a huge boost for New York. Although the Islanders went 14-7-2 in their final 23 regular-season games without Barzal, he is their most dynamic offensive player. He still finished second for New York in points with 51 (14 goals, 37 assists) in 58 games (Brock Nelson led with 75).

Goaltending

Hurricanes: It seems likely that Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta each will play in this series, and rookie
Pyotr Kochetkov
is a recall away with Chicago in the American Hockey League if needed. During the regular season, Andersen was 21-11-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and one shutout. Raanta was 19-3-3 with a 2.23 GAA, .910 save percentage and four shutouts. Kochetkov was 12-7-5 with a 2.44 GAA, .909 save percentage and four shutouts.
Islanders:Ilya Sorokin enters the playoffs as a No. 1 goalie for the first time after he was 31-22-7 with a 2.34 GAA, .924 save percentage and a League-leading six shutouts during the regular season. Among goalies to start at least 41 games, only Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins had a better GAA (1.89) and save percentage (.938). Backup Semyon Varlamov, who was New York's No. 1 goalie the last time it reached the playoffs in 2021, was 11-9-2 with a 2.70 GAA, .913 save percentage and two shutouts this season.

Numbers to know

Hurricanes:Carolina led the NHL with 59 goals from defensemen this season, including 18 each from Brent Burns and Brady Skjei. Carolina was second in the NHL on the penalty kill at 84.4 percent, but 20th on the power at 19.8 percent, including 11.3 percent in their final 21 games. The Hurricanes were third in the NHL in averaging 34.8 shots on goal per game and allowed a League-low 26.0 per game. The Hurricanes led the NHL in 5-on-5 shot attempts differential at plus-1,530. The Calgary Flames (plus-1,120) were the only other team better than plus-700.
Islanders: Nelson's 36 goals fell one short of his NHL career-high from last season. New York was 30th in the NHL on power play at 15.8 percent, including an NHL-low 10.9 percent in the final 23 games without Barzal. The Islanders were ninth on the penalty kill at 82.2 percent. New York was fifth in the NHL in hits with 2,139, led by Matt Martin with 295, and fifth in blocked shots with 1,323, led by Scott Mayfield with 168.

X-factors

Hurricanes:Burns fit in seamlessly in his first season with Carolina after being acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks in the offseason. The defenseman was third on the Hurricanes with 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) and averaged a team-high 23:13 in ice time in 82 regular-season games. The 38-year-old veteran of 94 NHL playoff games will bring experience and an offensive spark from the defense, which Carolina lacked when it lost to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Second Round last season.
Islanders: Horvat could benefit most from Barzal's return and recapture the lethal goal-scoring touch New York coveted when it acquired the center in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 30. Horvat scored seven goals in 30 games with the Islanders after scoring 31 in 49 games with the Canucks, but he had three goals and appeared to have good chemistry with Barzal in their seven games together before he was injured.

They said it

"We've got a lot of confidence moving into the playoffs. This is a really good division, so for us to come out first is huge and we've just got to keep it going from here." -- Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield
"He's a huge part of this team and he's got a tremendous amount of skill and his speed and his ability to make plays. So, that just adds another dimension to our group, and we've missed him. We're happy to have him back." -- Islanders center Bo Horvat on the expected return of Mathew Barzal

Will win if …

Hurricanes:They get enough goals from their bottom-six forwards to help out their top six, their goalies stay healthy and they can get some production on the power play. Carolina always generates scoring chances 5-on-5 with its forecheck but will need to convert enough of them against Sorokin.
Islanders: Sorokin is at the top of his game, Barzal's return sparks the offense, particularly the power play, and their defense can withstand the Hurricanes' relentless offensive-zone pressure. Defenseman Alexander Romanov returning at some point from his upper-body injury (he will miss at least Game 1) would help too.

How they look

Hurricanes projected lineup
Teuvo Teravainen -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Stefan Noesen -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi -- Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook -- Jordan Staal -- Jesper Fast
Jack Drury -- Paul Stastny -- Jesse Puljujarvi
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Brady Skjei -- Brett Pesce
Shayne Gostisbehere -- Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen
Antti Raanta
Scratched: Dylan Coghlan, Calvin de Haan, Derek Stepan
Injured:Andrei Svechnikov (knee surgery), Max Pacioretty (Achilles), Ondrej Kase (concussion)
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Pierre Engvall -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Zach Parise -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho -- Scott Mayfield
Samuel Bolduc -- Noah Dobson
Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched:Simon Holmstrom, Josh Bailey, Ross Johnston, Parker Wotherspoon
Injured:Alexander Romanov (upper body), Oliver Wahlstrom (lower body)