Offense meets defense at UBS Arena on Saturday as the high-volume shooting Carolina Hurricanes (-150) head to take on the suffocating goaltending of the New York Islanders (+130). The total is 6 (O: +100, U: -120)Carolina (14-6-6) is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Ducks on Tuesday, ending a streak of four consecutive wins.
The Hurricanes committed only two penalties in the game, holding Anaheim without a power play goal. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, and Brady Skjei scored one apiece for the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov only had 26 saves on 30 shots against (.866%) in the loss.
New York (17-11-0) is playing the second of a back-to-back after earning an exciting 6-4 win over the Devils yesterday. Brock Nelson scored twice to lead the Islanders. Semyon Varlamov stopped only 25 of 29 shots (.862%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Islanders won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 6-2 victory in October. Nelson (2G 0A), Mathew Barzal (0G 2A), and Anthony Beauvillier (0G 2A) each had two points to lead New York. Brent Burns and Martin Necas were on the scoresheet for Carolina. Ilya Sorokin got the win, saving 33 of 35 shots (.942%).
FACING OFF
Carolina is averaging 2.88 goals per game for the season, 25th in the NHL, and they are taking on an Islanders team that is allowing 2.75 goals a game (6th). Meanwhile, New York has found the net 3.29 times a game on average, 14th in the league, and the Hurricanes are allowing opponents to score 2.81 goals per game (7th).
Carolina averages more shots/game (35.3) than most teams in the league, ranking second, though the team’s 8.4% shooting percentage is 32nd. New York has proven to be one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 3 with a team save percentage of .923%.
The Islanders’ 23.81% power play percentage ranks 13th in the league, while the Hurricanes are 27th with a conversion rate of 17.58%. When it comes to penalty killing, New York has the league’s seventh-ranked PK% at 81.61%, while Carolina is 14th at 78.65%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Necas and Aho have been the top skaters for the Hurricanes this season with 28 and 27 points. In the net, Kochetkov (5-1-4) is Carolina’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.44 GAA and a .914% save percentage.
Barzal and Nelson lead the Islanders in scoring with 30 and 28 points, respectively. Barzal has three goals and 27 assists (6th) in 28 games, while Nelson has 14 goals and 14 assists in 28 games. Sorokin (10-8-0) has the best goals against average for New York at 2.33, fifth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .927%, also fifth-best.
HOME AND AWAY
Carolina is 9-3-5 away from PNC Arena this season. New York is 9-5-0 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Islanders are 3-1 without a day off and 1-1 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Hurricanes are 0-1 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Carolina Hurricanes (-150)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
