Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders Pick and Prediction – April 27, 2024

CAROLINA HURRICANES VS. NEW YORK ISLANDERS EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – April 27, 2024 — The Islanders are just about out of time and they might be out of answers in this series. Switching goaltenders didn’t help, nor did getting the second change at home in Game 3. The simplest truth appears to be the correct one: New York is just overmatched in this series.

And that’s probably to be expected. Carolina had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Islanders had the fewest win total of any team that qualified for the postseason. Notably, both St. Louis and Detroit won more games than New York, but the Islanders qualified as the third seed from the Metropolitan because of their ability to lose in overtime.

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In the playoffs, all those single point games are just losses, and the Islanders haven’t even gotten there yet. The Hurricanes have been a step or two ahead at every turn, and the one time where the Isles had an edge, they couldn’t step on the throat. It feels like New York had one chance in this series, and it has come and gone.

The Odds

Puck Drop

When: Saturday, April 27 at 2 p.m. EST

Where: UBS Arena, Elmont, N.Y.

TV: TBS

Public Bets: 87% on Carolina

Public Money: 76% on Carolina

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of April 26th, 2024

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders In-Season Trends

Maybe there was too much made of the fact that the Islanders finished the season as winners of eight of their final nine games. New York appeared to have turned a corner in the way that it finished the season by grabbing 17 of 18 possible points to snag third in the Metropolitan. But in retrospect, it was all smoke and mirrors.

The Islanders got back into the race because their schedule softened, not because of them figuring anything out. In that stretch, they beat two playoff teams: Nashville, the seventh-best in the West, and the New York Rangers, their archrival. Otherwise, all the Islanders ever did was beat up on teams who are already on the golf course.

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Carolina came in hot, but in the Hurricanes’ case, it was much more real. They’ve shown this is who they are all season and in the year before. They have won eight straight games where they cared about the outcome (they had nothing to play for in the season finale with Columbus), and they’ve held seven of those eight opponents to two goals or less.

Players to Watch

The Jake Guentzel trade was a sign Carolina was all-in this year and Pittsburgh was waving the white flag. The Penguins ended up going for it anyway when it was too late, but Guentzel made a big difference in Raleigh. Over his past 10 games, he’s averaged better than a point per game. Most of these come via assist, although he did light the lamp in Game 2.

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Anders Lee has scored a point in all three games in this series, the only Islander to do so. He’s likely going to continue his strong play as the Islanders enter full desperation mode.

The Pick

Anything is possible, but it’s very hard to see any way for New York to make this a series. The Islanders have been outplayed at every turn and they’re facing a team that clearly has realistic Stanley Cup dreams. New York is the weakest team in the field in terms of wins, and the Islanders have looked like it for three games.

However, in an elimination game, this is a spot to be contrarian and play the over. The Islanders have no choice but to go for it, and they’re almost certain to pull the goaltender relatively early in the third period if they’re trailing. That means empty net markers, which is exactly what kills an Under play.