The Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders are ready to battle at the Barclays Center in Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. The match gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26, and fans at home will be able to view the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders Odds
New York enters the game as the obvious favorite with a moneyline of -140. The line for Carolina sits at +120, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -135 under, +115 over.
Netting 23.1 units for moneyline bettors, New York is 52-34 straight up (SU) overall in the 2018-19 season. That win percentage, second-best in the NHL so far this season, is a welcomed turnaround from what the team did during last year’s regular season (35-47). Out of the team’s 86 regular season contests, 53 of them have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just five have pushed. The team is 26-17 SU at home this season.
After accounting for the third-weakest power-play unit in the regular season (converting 14.6 percent of all chances), the Islanders have been able to score on 15.4 percent of their extra-man advantages in the early stages of these playoffs. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.0 percent in the regular season to 90.9 percent in the playoffs.
The Islanders’ offensive attack attempted 28.9 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 2.8 goals per outing (ranked 21st overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club is up to an average of 32.3 shots on goal (and up to 3.5 goals per game).
Averaging 27.2 saves per game with a .932 save percentage, Robin Lehner (30 wins, 20 losses, and five OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for New York this year. If New York chooses to give him a breather, however, head coach Barry Trotz might turn to Thomas Greiss (26-17-17 record, .927 save percentage, 2.28 goals against average).
Carolina is 50-39 straight up (SU) and has earned -1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 48 of its matches have gone under the total, while 39 have gone over and just two have pushed. As a road team, the Hurricanes are 23-22 SU.
The Hurricanes have converted on 17.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked eighth overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Petr Mrazek (25.1 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina. Mrazek has 27 wins, 20 losses, and four overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .912 save percentage and 2.41 goals against average this year.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The total has gone under in four of New York’s last five games.
- Carolina has attempted 34.3 shots per contest overall this season (the most in the NHL), and 32.4 in its last 10 outings.
- Six of Carolina’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
- This game features two of the more physical defenses in the league. Carolina skaters have accounted for the seventh-most hits in the league (26.4 per game) while the Islanders have recorded the eighth-most (25.7).
