Game 4 Preview: Hurricanes vs. Islanders in Eastern Conference First Round

The Carolina Hurricanes will face off against the New York Islanders in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at UBS Arena on Sunday. With a 2-1 series lead, Carolina will aim to maintain their advantage, while the Islanders will look to even things up following their 5-1 victory in Game 3 on Friday. Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal believes his team needs to improve their special teams and handle the Islanders’ physicality to control the play. Power-play goals have been crucial in this series, with the team that scores at least one emerging as the winner in each of the first three games. The Hurricanes may also need to make a decision in goal, with Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov available to replace Antti Raanta. The Islanders have been more physical in the series, out-hitting the Hurricanes 141-95 thus far, and hope to use that to their advantage as the series progresses. Teams that have taken a 3-1 series lead have historically gone on to win 90.6% of the time, so both teams will be highly motivated to emerge victorious in Game 4.