The Carolina Hurricanes have every reason to feel good entering their game against the visiting New York Islanders on Sunday night in Raleigh, N.C.
The Hurricanes (48-18-9, 105 points) ended a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) with a 3-0 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, helping them maintain a narrow one-point lead atop the Metropolitan Division.
“That was about as dominant as you can play a game,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You’d like to be able to sit on the good feeling of that game, but you can’t because we turn around and we’ve got to play again (Sunday).”
At the same time on Saturday night, the Islanders (39-29-9, 87 points) were getting blanked 5-0 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. The setback put an end to a satisfying two-game winning streak that helped them take hold of the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
That lead is down to two points after the Florida Panthers breezed to a 7-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Lurking one point behind Florida are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who fell out of the second wild-card spot following a 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday coupled with the Panthers’ victory.
The Hurricanes would like to bottle up the effort they displayed in Montreal and bring it home to Raleigh.
Carolina outshot the Canadiens 50-14, making it a relatively easy shutout for goalie Antti Raanta. The goaltender made his first start since March 7 after missing three weeks with a lower-body injury.
“We were in their end the whole game,” Brind’Amour said. “We didn’t create a lot off the rush because we didn’t need to. That’s how you have to play it. Get a lead, make sure you don’t give them any rush opportunities and dominate the game in their end.”
Carolina also got another goal by a defenseman, Brady Skjei, giving the Hurricanes a franchise-record 52 goals from the position this season.
“They’re elite players, all of them,” Brind’Amour said.
The Islanders might have a tough decision on who to start in goal against the Hurricanes.
Ilya Sorokin started against the Lightning but was pulled with 8:15 left in the second period after allowing four goals on 21 shots. Semyon Varlamov replaced him and stopped 10 of 11 shots.
Islanders coach Lane Lambert said he wasn’t considering the Carolina game when he pulled Sorokin.
“We were just thinking about tonight’s game and the fact that we could potentially try and change something with a spark, so (we’ll) see what happens,” Lambert said after the game.
Sorokin has faced Carolina three times this season and is 1-2-0 with a 3.05 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
Frederik Andersen is expected to start for Carolina after Raanta played Saturday night.
Andersen has made two starts against the Islanders this season and is 1-1-0 with a 3.51 GAA and an .887 save percentage. The five goals he allowed against New York in a 6-2 loss on Oct. 28 matched his season high.
“(Saturday) was a great effort, but we got a quick turnaround against a good team that’s probably desperate,” Carolina captain Jordan Staal said. “It’s going to be a good matchup.”
–Field Level Media
