The New York Islanders lost Game 1, and like last season, they were outplayed by the Carolina Hurricanes on both ends of the ice. The Hurricanes took an early lead and never looked back, scoring a goal early in the third period and an empty netter to pull away with a 3-1 victory.
Related: Hurricanes & Islanders Round 1 X-Factors
Game 1 showed the gap between the two teams. The Islanders proved they are a good team that can make the playoffs, while the Hurricanes displayed why they are a Cup contender. That said, the Islanders saw in the game how they could win this series. There’s a blueprint in place, and if they follow it, they will pull off the upset.
Islanders Must Win Net-Front Presence
The Hurricanes scored their second and most important goal of the game near the net. Stefan Noesen collected a shot from the point and quickly fired it to the back of the net. Noesen wasn’t in a great position for the goal at first, but he snuck up behind Noah Dobson and took advantage of an Islanders team out of place to give the Hurricanes the lead.
The Islanders also scored in Game 1 with a net-front presence leading the way. It was their only goal in the game, and it came after relentless pressure near the net, and Frederik Andersen, who made 33 saves, couldn’t stop it. The Islanders couldn’t score otherwise, but the good news is that they have the finishers in their lineup who are capable of scoring in this manner.
If the Islanders are going to win this series, they must control the areas in front of the crease. In the offensive zone, they must have skaters in the area who are ready to collect rebounds and finish scoring chances. Defensively, it’s about ensuring the Hurricanes forwards don’t find opportunities near the net. The Hurricanes love to generate shots through traffic and find scoring chances in the chaos they cause, and the Islanders must prevent them from generating them, to begin with to take over this series.
Special Teams Will Derail the Islanders
Heading into the series, the special teams were a mismatch that the Hurricanes were looking to expose. The Hurricanes finished the season with the second-best power play in the NHL and the best penalty kill. The Islanders, meanwhile, were below league average in both, making it pivotal to avoid taking penalties and try to improve on the man advantage.
The special teams issues were on full display in Game 1. The Hurricanes found the back of the net on their first power play of the game to immediately seize momentum. Evgeny Kuznetsov, acquired at the trade deadline, had more space to operate, and he fired a shot to the top shelf to give the Hurricanes an early lead. The Islanders, meanwhile, failed to score in both of their opportunities and even worse, they only generated four shots on the net during the power play.
This will be a theme throughout the series. The Islanders have a chance to win games and the series if they can play five-on-five hockey. It’s a big if, but for the Islanders, it means they must remain out of the penalty box. Otherwise, they’ll be in trouble, and this series will get out of hand quickly. The Hurricanes take advantage of mistakes particularly will find the back of the net on the power play, making it a top priority to prevent them from being on the man-advantage in the first place.
Kyle MacLean Adding Scoring Depth
Kyle MacLean scored the first and only goal for the Islanders in Game 1, and aside from his goal, he made an impressive debut despite only 12:10 ice time. He was one of the new faces on the Islanders entering the series and centering the third line, and he didn’t disappoint.
In this series, the Islanders need a depth skater who can add goals to the offense. It will be tough to create scoring chances against the Hurricanes, a noticeable part of Game 1, and having a forward on the second or third line who finds the back of the net will allow the Islanders to pull off the upset. MacLean is only 24 years old but ready for the big stage and poised to play a big role in this series.
Why the Islanders Will Make This a Series
At the end of the day, Game 1 looked lopsided but was a close one that could have gone either way. A few rough bounces and back breaks went in the Hurricanes’ favor, and if the Islanders don’t take a bad penalty or find the back of the net on one of those big Andersen stops, the narrative heading into Game 2 would be how the Islanders can win this series.
On top of that, Semyon Varlamov stepped up in this game. He saved 23 of the 25 shots he faced and proved he is capable of going toe-to-toe with Andersen in a seven-game series. In Game 2, he can shut down the Hurricanes offense, and the Islanders are suddenly back in this series.
The Islanders traveled to Raleigh, hoping to steal at least one game. They didn’t get it done in Game 1 but proved that they can put up a fight. Now it’s about pulling off the upset in Game 2 to send the series back to UBS Arena with a chance to gain complete momentum.