The New York Islanders will have their backs against the wall when they play their first-ever playoff game at UBS Arena.
The Isles lost a pair of one-goal games on the road to the Carolina Hurricanes and will now need to win on Friday night to avoid falling in what would almost certainly be an insurmountable 0-3 hole in this best-of-7 series.
And while there are no moral victories in the postseason, the Isles should at least feel confident that they can hang with the Hurricanes after two games that were decided (one in very dubious fashion) by a single goal.
Will the Isles be able to respond on Friday night on Long Island?
Islanders vs. Hurricanes picks
(7 p.m. ET)
While Game 1 looked every bit like the type of victories we’ve come to expect out of the Carolina Hurricanes under Rod Brind’Amour, Wednesday was a different story.
The Canes got out to a 2-0 lead in Game 2, but one of the tallies was a complete fluke and the Islanders were able to battle back in a game where they had to kill off six penalties and got no power plays for themselves.
The Isles ended the game on the wrong side of the coin, but they outplayed the Hurricanes at 5-on-5.
That’s been the theme of the series to this point with the Isles having a slight edge (4.5 to 4.4) in expected goals and high-danger scoring chances (24-16).
But now the pressure mounts on a veteran Islanders team that is not built to storm back in games or series.
The Isles simply don’t have the scoring punch to do that, so they’ll rely on their effort-level, defensive structure and goaltender to be the difference in a pivotal contest on Friday night.
Carolina, meanwhile, will feel fortunate to have some breathing room in the series after a punishing win.
The Islanders laid 54 hits on the Canes in Game 2 and top-line forward Teuvo Teravainen was ruled out for the series with a broken hand.
The bookmakers have made the Isles as a +500 underdog to come back and win the series, though Game 3 is priced as a straight coin flip with both teams sitting at -110.
The Islanders have played well enough to get a little bit more respect from the market in this contest.
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The Hurricanes may have won both contests and were a sizable favorite to win the series, but the Islanders have, at worst, hung with the Canes at 5-on-5 — Carolina was the best team by expected goals percentage in the NHL this season — and have been on the wrong end of just about every bounce in this series.
Ilya Sorokin is still the biggest difference-maker in this series and with him in goal the Isles are worth a bet to win Game 3 and a sprinkle at +500 to come back and take this best-of-7.
Islanders vs. Hurricanes predictions
Islanders -110 to win Game 3; Islanders +500 to win the series (FanDuel)