The Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders continue their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series with Game 4 on Sunday afternoon at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY.
The road woes of the Hurricanes continue, as Carolina has lost eight consecutive road playoff games dating back to 2021.
The Islanders scratched out their first win of the series, scoring four late goals in Game 3 to win it 5-1, although the game was certainly a lot closer than the score indicates.
The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series by a 2-1 margin, maintaining home-ice advantage.
Will Carolina finally be able to break through for a road playoff win, or will the Islanders continue to add to the drought for the Hurricanes? We’ll discuss in our NHL picks and predictions for Hurricanes vs. Islanders on Sunday, April 23.
Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 4 odds
Hurricanes vs Islanders series odds
| Team | To win | Win in 5 | Win in 6 | Win in 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricanes | -320 | +220 | +275 | +340 |
| Islanders | -250 | N/A | +750 | +550 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of April 23.
Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 4 predictions
The Carolina Hurricanes continue to be beasts on home ice, while struggling on the road in the postseason. It’s starting to get borderline ridiculous now.
Last season, Carolina was 7-1 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC, while losing all six games on the road by a 26-10 margin. In fact, the last win on the road for the Hurricanes came in Tampa on June 3, 2021 in overtime in front of a less-than-capacity crowd at Amalie Arena.
In the 2021 playoff run for the Canes, Carolina won on the road just twice in five tries, and both were in overtime. It won a “road” game in the bubble in Toronto during the 2020 playoffs against the Boston Bruins, but you have to go back to April 28, 2019, for Game 2 against the New York Islanders at Barclays Center, for the last true road win in regulation for the Hurricanes.
Carolina is expected to lean upon goaltender Antti Raanta for Game 4. While he is 2-1-0 with a 2.60 GAA and .909 SV% in these playoffs so far, he allowed four goals on 36 shots in Game 3, letting in three late ones as the dam broke for the Islanders.
Raanta is 0-7-0 with a 3.78 GAA and a .874 SV% in his NHL postseason career on the road. And his counterpart, Ilya Sorokin, owns a 2.29 GAA and a .942 SV% in three starts in these playoffs.
Based upon the struggles of Raanta in his career on the road, as well as the tremendous inability of the Hurricanes to get it done away from their own building, you have to roll with the Islanders in Game 4 on the moneyline. Keep fading the Canes as the visitors until they can finally get the monkey off of their collective backs.
My best bet: Islanders moneyline (-120 at FanDuel)
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Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 4 moneyline analysis
The Hurricanes were held to just a single goal in Game 3, and Carolina has scored three or fewer goals in seven of the past eight games on the road dating back to March 21, including the final few weeks of the regular season.
Carolina has won just once in the past five games on the road, too, so the issues away from home aren’t just in the postseason. It lost to the likes of the Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators from April 6-10 when it was in the thick of the Metropolitan Division chase. It still ended up in Carolina’s favor, but it has to figure out how to win on the road, and quick.
The Islanders played the Hurricanes tough, tied 1-1 on home ice late into the third period. Kyle Palmieri struck on the power play, with a helper from the “other” Sebastian Aho and Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who is quickly making enemies in Raleigh. The Isles scored four goals in a 2:18 span, the shortest span for four goals in Stanley Cup playoff history.
The Isles have won five straight games on home ice, and New York has an impressive 11-3 mark in the past 14 Conference Quarterfinals games.
Better yet, the favorite is 6-0 in the past six meetings, while the home team is 4-0 in the past four in this series. Back the Islanders, and do so rather aggressively.
Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 4 Over/Under analysis
Under bettors got hosed in Game 3, and it really wasn’t fair. Can you imagine holding an Under 5.5 ticket with a 1-1 game and just four minutes left in regulation and losing? Ouch.
While it isn’t much solace knowing you were on the right side and it was just bad luck in the final few minutes, the Under was the way to go. It’s hard to believe the Over is 2-1 so far in three games in this series, but it is.
The books adjusted the total to just 5 for this game. Yes, Sorokin has been strong, and yes, Raanta has been very good, while the Carolina penalty kill has been stout. But you have to play the Over, as that number is just too temptingly low.
The Over is 4-1 in the past five games for the Islanders, and 3-1-1 in the past five on home ice. The Over is also 7-2-1 in the past 10 Conference Quarterfinals games for the Hurricanes.
Back the Isles and go with the Over for a nice parlay opportunity.
Hurricanes vs Islanders betting trend to know
The home team has cashed in four straight meetings between these teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs. Islanders.
Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 4 game info
| Location: | UBS Arena, Elmont, NY |
| Date: | Sunday, April 23, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT, Rogers Sportsnet 360 |
