The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders will meet up Saturday evening at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. for the second of four regular-season meetings between these Metropolitan Division rivals.
The Hurricanes are playing the fifth contest in a strange six-game road trip which has already included stops in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.
The Islanders will be looking to tap into the form had in Raleigh earlier this season, as New York served up a 6-2 beatdown against Carolina back on October 28.
Will the Islanders continue to be a thorn in the side of the Hurricanes, or will the road-weary Canes be able to stay on course? We’ll discuss in our NHL picks and predictions for Hurricanes vs. Islanders on Saturday, December 10.
Hurricanes vs Islanders best odds
Hurricanes vs Islanders picks and predictions
The Hurricanes will give rookie Pyotr Kochetkov a fifth consecutive start in between the pipes. It’s out of necessity, as Frederik Andersen remains sidelined with an undisclosed lower-body ailment. The latter has returned to practice, which is a good sign, though.
To make matters worse for the Canes, LW Sebastian Aho has been dealing with a lower-body injury, and he was forced out of practice Thursday and Friday. As such, he has been ruled out for Saturday’s game. Paul Stastny will slide up to the top line with Seth Jarvis and Martin Necas, but that’s obviously not optimal for Carolina’s prospects of winning.
Jesper Fast, another key cog in the offense, is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and he could be missing from the third line with Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal.
The Islanders have no such injury issues, and they’re getting healthier. Cal Clutterbuck returned from an upper-body injury last time out, and he offers some sandpaper to this Isles side. He had a goal and an assist in the win Friday over the previously red-hot New Jersey Devils, 6-4.
The Canes are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Ducks on Tuesday. While the healthy players are getting a much-needed rest, the team is still traveling again, and that is going to take a toll on Carolina. It’s been all over the country in the past week, and now it has a bit of a patchwork offense due to some key players hitting the shelf. It’s a nice recipe for another win for the Islanders against the Hurricanes.
My best bet: Islanders moneyline (+140 at BetMGM)
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Hurricanes vs Islanders moneyline analysis
The Hurricanes have still managed to win four of the past five games despite the travels and injury situations, cashing in three of the past four as a favorite.
Carolina’s Kochetkov is a solid 5-1-4 with a 2.44 GAA and .914 SV% with one shutout through his nine starts and 10 games overall. And he has been even more impressive on the road this season, going 4-0-4 with a 2.41 GAA and .917 SV%, with his lone shutout, too.
New York turns to Ilya Sorokin, who is trying to work his way out of a bit of a mini funk. He allowed five goals on 26 shots against the St. Louis Blues last time out on Tuesday. He gets the nod after Semyon Varlamov worked on Friday night.
Sorokin has allowed nine goals across the past three starts, all losses, although facing the Hurricanes might be the elixir to cure his ills. He stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced in a 6-2 win in Raleigh back on October 28.
While Carolina has won four of the past five games overall, going 4-1 in the past five inside the division, it is just 1-5 in the previous six against teams with a winning record. New York is 20-7 in the past 27 inside the division dating back to last season, while cashing in seven of the previous eight against teams from the Eastern Conference.
The Isles have struggled in recent seasons against the Canes, going 2-10 in the past 12 meetings, and just 7-21 in the past 28 meetings at home. However, the struggles against Carolina were obviously not a problem in the first regular season meeting in late October, so don’t put too much stock into those trends.
Hurricanes vs Islanders Over/Under analysis
Carolina is averaging just 2.9 goals per game (GPG) to rank No. 25 in the NHL, and while it takes a lot of shots, second-most in the league, there are a lot of errant attempts. And the Hurricanes have struggled on the power play, going just 18.0%, or No. 27 in the NHL.
Defensively, the Canes are sharp, holding opponents to just 26.4 shots on goal (SOG) to rank No. 2, while letting in 2.8 goals per game, good for No. 7. The penalty kill is just so-so at 78.2%.
New York is middle of the road in all offensive categories, going for 3.2 GPG and 32.1 SOG, while hitting at a 23.8% clip on the power play. Defensively, the combination of Sorokin and Varlamov in the crease has been a winner, as the Isles allow just 2.7 GPG to rank No. 5, and the kill is strong at 81.9%, good for No. 6 in the NHL.
A play of Under with the Islanders on the money line is worth a roll of the dice here.
Hurricanes vs Islanders betting trend to know
The Under has cashed in four straight games against Eastern Conference teams for the Hurricanes, while going 4-1 in the past five games against the East for the Islanders. Find more NHL betting trends for Hurricanes vs Islanders.
Hurricanes vs Islanders game info
| Location: | UBS Arena, Belmont Park, NY |
| Date: | Saturday, December 10, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | MSG, Bally Sports South |
