The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders will be facing off in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second consecutive year.
The Hurricanes finished just behind the New York Rangers in the race for the Metropolitan Division crown. This was a team that usually doesn't make a huge splash at the trade deadline but broke that mold when they acquired star winger Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins this year. Guentzel has proved to be a very sound addition to an already talented group of forwards that is capable of making a Stanley Cup run.
On the other hand, the Islanders were looking like they'd completely miss the postseason as they were falling behind in the Wild Card race midway through the campaign. However, the team made a significant change when they fired head coach Lane Lambert and replaced him with Patrick Roy. The Islanders came out of nowhere to earn the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division after winning eight of their last nine regular-season contests.
The Hurricanes and Islanders will begin their first-round series on Saturday, April 20.
(2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3) New York Islanders
Game 1: | Hurricanes 3, Islanders 1 | Recap
Game 2: | Hurricanes 5, Islanders 3 | Recap
Game 3: | Hurricanes 3, Islanders 2 | Recap
Game 4: | Islanders 3, Hurricanes 2 (2OT) | Recap
Game 5*: | Tuesday, April 30, TBD | at CAR | TV: TBD
Game 6*: | Thursday, May 2, TBD | at NY | TV: TBD
Game 7*: | Saturday, May 4, TBD | at CAR | TV: TBD
