With three victories on one side of the scoreboard, the New York Islanders face elimination by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their opening-round matchup.
With three victories on one side of the scoreboard, the New York Islanders face elimination by the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their opening-round matchup.
With three victories on one side of the scoreboard, the New York Islanders face elimination at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 of their opening-round matchup.
Puck drop from UBS Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
While the Islanders will look to stave off elimination, this game could also be the end of an era on Long Island.
This group seems to have run its course, and if they want to become Stanley Cup contenders in the near future, Islanders management has some work to do this summer.
That means the roster -- which could look very similar next year -- may lose some key players.
Veteran forwards Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, two key contributors on and off the ice for many years, are both pending unrestricted free agents. Their futures are unknown at this time.
Who knows what the future holds for players like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and Kyle Palmieri, or Brock Nelson, who is up for an extension.
Could we see Adam Pelech or Ryan Pulock on the move this summer?
Does Anders Lee remain with the team and as their captain?
We know that Patrick Roy will be behind the bench for the 2024-25 season, but how does he truly view the roster and certain players, and what does that mean for their future?
Will Lou Lamoriello still be the general manager of the team?
There are a lot of unknowns once the Islanders' season comes to an official end, and it really could be the end of an era.
But the season is not over just yet, and it's one game at a time for the Islanders as they try to win Game 4.
Morning Skate Updates:
Neither team skated this morning due to the matinee start time.
After turning to Ilya Sorokin in Game 3, Patrick Roy will hand the reins back to Semyon Varlamov (14-8-4, 2.60 GAA, .918 SV%) for the elimination game.
Varlamov relieved Sorokin in Game 3 and stopped all eight shots he faced. Carolina will not make any lineup changes for Saturday's game.
Frederik Andersen (13-2-0, 1.84 GAA, .932 SV%), who picked up each of Carolina's first three victories, will remain in net for the Hurricanes.
Andersen made 20 saves to earn the win on Thursday.
Game 3 Recap:
With the series shifted back to New York, the Hurricanes took the crowd out of it early. Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov scored in the first period to make it 2-0 after the first period.
Pierre Engvall cut the deficit in half early in the second, but Carolina's Sebastian Aho got the goal back under five minutes later, marking the end of Sorokin's night in net.
Brock Nelson finished a rebound to make it 3-2 before intermission, but that was as close the Islanders could get. The Islanders couldn't break the puck in cleanly or build sustained pressure, giving Carolina the 3-2 win and pushing New York to the brink.
Players To Watch:
Anders Lee added an assist on Engvall's goal on Thursday.
The Islanders' captain has points in all three games of the series, totaling a goal and two assists. He has points in his last four games overall, totaling a goal and four assists.
Nelson's goal gives him four against the Hurricanes in Stanley Cup Playoff action, a tie with Mathew Barzal for the most among active Islanders. The forward has points in four of his last five games, totaling three goals and three assists in that span.
Nelson's and Lee's contributions extended their career success against Carolina. Nelson has 18 goals and 35 points against them, including postseason play, while Lee has 19 helpers to lead the team.
Aho's goal in Game 3 was his eighth red light in the postseason against New York, the most among active Hurricanes in playoff action; his 14 playoff points against them also top Carolina.
Andrei Svechnikov has had two assists in each of the last two games, contributing to Orlov and Aho's goals. He has 14 assists in postseason play against New York in 22 games.
Jake Guentzel and Martin Necas are each averaging a point-per-game in the series; while both were shutout in a game this series, both had a goal and assist in a game in addition to a helper on Thursday.
While Jordan Staal has been kept relatively quiet this series, he leads the team across the board on offense against New York Including postseason stats, he has 17 goals and 38 assists, good for 55 points.
New York Islanders Projected Lines:
Casey Cizikas -- Bo Horvat -- Mathew Barzal
Hudson Fasching -- Brock Nelson -- Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee -- Jean-Garbiel Pageau -- Pierre Engvall
Matt Martin -- Kyle MacLean -- Cal Clutterbuck
Alexander Romanov -- Noah Dobson
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Mike Reilly -- Robert Bortuzzo
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Carolina Hurricanes Projected Lines:
Jake Guentzel -- Sebastian Aho -- Seth Jarvis
Teuvo Teravainen -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi - Martin Necas
Jordan Martinook - Jordan Staal - Andrei Svechnikov
Jack Drury - Evgeni Kuznetsov - Stefan Noesen
Jaccob Slavin -- Brent Burns
Brady Skjei -- Tony DeAngelo
Dmitry Orlov -- Jalen Chatfield
Frederik Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
How To Watch:
Locally, the game will air on MSGSN; the contest will air nationally on TBS and TruTV. On the radio, Game 4 will air on 88.7 FM WRHU, 98.7 ESPN, and 103.9 LI News Radio.