Game Preview: Islanders at Hurricanes

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-30-10) AT CAROLINA HURRICANES (44-24-4)

5 PM | LENOVO CENTER

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders look to snap a four-game winless skid when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday evening.

The Isles dropped to 0-2-2 in their last four games after a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Pulock, Marc Gatcomb and Tony DeAngelo scored for the Islanders, who attempted to rally out of a 4-0 hole, but came up short.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night. Jackson Blake led the way with a three-point game (1G, 2A), while Sebastian Aho, Taylor Hall and Andrei Svechnikov each scored.

STANDINGS IMPLICATIONS:

The Islanders (74 points) are three points back of the New York Rangers (77 points) for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. The Isles are also one point back of the Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets, who both have 75 points and have played the same number of games as the Isles.

The Detroit Red Wings (74 points) are also tied with the Isles, but New York holds a game in hand. Montreal takes on Florida on Sunday afternoon.

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders are 2-1-0 this season against the Hurricanes, winning both games at UBS Arena. The Hurricanes took the lone meeting at Lenovo Center, shutting out the Isles 4-0 on Dec. 17.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

- Marcus Hogberg will start in goal on Sunday evening. Hogberg is 2-3-1 this season with a 1.92 GAA and a .931 SV%. Hogberg stopped 24-of-26 shots against the Hurricanes on Jan. 25, but left the game after the third period with an upper-body injury. Since returning on March 9, Hogberg is 0-1-1 in three appearances, most recently suiting up in relief of Ilya Sorokin on Wednesday vs Vancouver.

- DeAngelo extended his point streak to five games with six points (2G, 4A) over that span. DeAngelo’s five-game run surpasses Noah Dobson’s two separate four-game point streaks for the longest streak for an Isles blueliner this season. DeAngelo has 16 points (4G, 12A) in 25 games for the Islanders since being acquired midseason.

- The Islanders power play went 1-for-2 on Saturday, snapping a three-game goal drought. The Isles power play is 3-for-29 in its last 10 games.

- Adam Boqvist drew back into the lineup on Saturday afternoon, recording an assist in 19:48 TOI, with two shots, four total attempts and two blocked shots. Mike Reilly came out of the lineup in a corresponding move.

- The Isles have allowed the first goal of the game 45 times this season, tying Pittsburgh for the NHL lead.

HURRICANES NOTES:

- The Hurricanes are comfortably in a playoff spot, sitting second in the Metropolitan Division with 92 points and all but assured a First Round matchup with the New Jersey Devils.

- The Hurricanes are 10-2-0 in their last 12 games – and their .833 points percentage leads the NHL since Mar. 2. Carolina is averaging 1.92 goals against per game over that span, tied with Colorado for the league-low.

- Taylor Hall extended his scoring streak to three games, his longest scoring streak since the 2022-23 season. Hall has 13 points (8G, 5A) in 22 games since being acquired by the Hurricanes, with 11 of those points coming in the past 12 games.

- While unconfirmed, the Hurricanes team website has Pyotr Kochetkov as the expected starter against the Isles. Kochetkov is 1-1-1 against the Isles this season and is 25-13-3 overall with a 2.50 GAA and a .902 SV%. If Frederik Andersen starts, he'll be seeking his seventh straight win. Andersen has won six straight starts and has improved to 12-5-0 this season with a 2.01 GAA, a .919 SV% and one shutout. Andersen is 3-2-0 with a 2.62 GAA and a .902 SV% against the Isles in the regular season since joining the Canes.

- The Hurricanes dealt Mikko Rantanen to the Dallas Stars at the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring Logan Stankoven, conditional first-round picks in 2026 and 2028, as well as third-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Stankoven, the Stars’ 2021 second-round pick (47^th overall), has 29 points (9G, 20A) in 59 games with Dallas and has four points (1G, 3A) in nine games with Carolina.

- Seth Jarvis has 10 points (4G, 6A) in his last 10 games and is currently riding a three-game assist streak. Jarvis is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team lead with 27 goals this season and is second on the team with 56 points this season.

- The Hurricanes penalty kill boasts a league-leading 84.8% conversion rate. Carolina’s PK has killed off 30-of-33 shorthanded opportunities since Mar 2, killing at 90.9%.