Back to the Metropolitan Division, we have the Islanders facing the Canes for the 2nd time this year. Carolina sits 2nd in the division with a record of 13-8-0 and the Islanders are 5th with a record of 8-7-6.
The Canes took the first game by a score of 4-3 in overtime back on November 4th. They come in on a 2-game winning streak and are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games. New York on the other hand have not played very well. They’re on a 2-game losing streak and are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games.
Carolina plays a great two-way game. They pepper the net and play a stingy defense where they don’t allow many shots on goal. Ranking 3rd in shots on goal forced with 33.7 per game and ranking 1st in shots on goal allowed per game with 25.3.
Lots of contributions coming from all around on this team. They have 9 players with double digit point totals. Sebastian Aho is having a good start to the season, leading the team in assists (14) and points (19). Seth Jarvis is right behind him with 18 points.
Antti Raanta has held his own although he doesn’t have the best numbers. He has a record of 6-3 but has a 3.47 GAA and a .854 save percentage. Getting the wins is the most important stat there though. He took on the lead role after the injury to Freddie Andersen.
On the other hand, the Islanders don’t play two-way hockey. Their defense hasn’t been good all year, but they cannot seem to finish games lately. They will go into the 3rd period leading and will end up losing the game.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s numbers don’t reflect how great he has been. He is the reason the Islanders have been able to contend in games but has a record of 5-4-5. The 5 overtime losses really stick out a lot. Few of those were games where they gave up the lead late in the game. His 3.09 GAA and .913 save percentage don’t do him justice.
The Islanders are allowing 3 goals per game and rank 2nd to last in the league for shots on goal allowed with 35. Big part of the reason Sorokin is getting peppered every game.
They also don’t score very much, as we all know, ranking in the bottom of the league with only 2.62 goals forced per game. Islander players just need to learn to play defense. Although the low scoring average, they haven’t been terrible.
Mat Barzal has shown some great improvements this year so far, leading the team with 19 points. Last year's acquisition Bo Horvat needs to find the back on the net more but has been showing he was worth it. Brock Nelson continues to lead the team in scoring with 10 goals.
It should be another good, close matchup. Let’s take a look at the lines and talk about our spots for this game.
Betting Odds
Puck Line
- New York Islanders +1.5 (-154)
- Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+128)
Moneyline
- New York Islanders +158
- Carolina Hurricanes -192
Totals
- Over 5.5 (-130)
- Under 5.5 (+106)
Odds courtesy of MyBookie
Game Information
- Venue: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
- Date: Thursday, November 30, 2023
- Puck Drop: 7:30pm EST
- TV: MSGSN
New York Islanders vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction and Picks
Prediction and Pick: Game Total Over 5.5 (-130)
Both teams know each other very well from divisional matchups to playoffs series. They matched up well vs each other earlier this year, despite what the stat sheets show.
This low total is interesting because their last game went over. Both goaltenders that are expected to start have a 3+ GAA. I like for these teams to get going early and put pucks in net.
Getting the 5.5 is worth paying the juice man. I could easily see this game ending 4-2 or 4-3 again. Sorokin and Raanta will both see a lot of pucks too, especially Sorokin. With how close last game was and not that long ago, these teams should be looking to do the same offensively as last time.
Player Prop: Brock Nelson O2.5 Shots on Goal (-113)
Brock had a hot start to the season and cooled off a bit. He is starting to get going again and has good historical numbers vs the Canes.
Nelson currently missed clearing the line his last game but did the 3 previous games. He has hit this line in 3 out his last 5 games and 6 out of his last 8 games. He is averaging 6.2 shot attempts per game in that time span.
Against Carolina, Brock had 4 in the matchup this year and hit it in 5 out of 7 games last year. He is averaging 4.6 shot attempts per game vs the Canes as well.
He is the starting center for the very productive 2nd line on the Islanders. If the Islanders are going to win, they need one of their best players to put pucks on net and I think he’ll clear this for us. We get a nice price for it too!
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