Islanders prepare for 'measuring stick' match against Stanley Cup contender Carolina Hurricanes
Islanders head coach Patrick Roy looks to the scoreboard during the third period of an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday in Boston. Credit: AP/Mark Stockwell
RALEIGH, N.C. – Thursday’s 10th match of the season carries significant weight for the entertaining yet inconsistent Islanders, more so than normal for this early in the schedule.
It’s the clichéd “measuring stick” match against the Hurricanes – one of the Eastern Conference’s legitimate Stanley Cup contenders – at Lenovo Center. But, more important, the Islanders (4-4-1) must prove to themselves they can play consistent winning hockey after blowing two-goal leads at each of the first two stops on this four-game road trip, Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat in Boston and Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia.
“It’s a tough road trip and this is going to be a really big one coming up for our season right now and where we’re at,” Kyle MacLean told Newsday.
Finally, Matthew Schaefer will trigger the first season of his entry-level contract when he plays his 10th game, meaning he will not be returned to his junior team, Erie of the Ontario Hockey League. And since the 18-year-old is not age-eligible to play in the AHL, it’s further confirmation the No. 1 overall pick will be an Islander the whole season.
Of course, Schaefer’s play made that a fait accompli midway through training camp. But any confirmation is good confirmation.
“We’ve just got to keep that push and stay out of the box,” said Schaefer, who is leading all rookie defensemen with seven points (two goals, five assists) and an average ice time of 23:15 in nine games. “That’s what hurt us. I think our special teams can be a little bit better on the power play. But we’ll put this (loss to the Bruins) in the past, we’ll learn from it and then we’ll worry about Carolina.”
The Islanders went 0-for-5 – albeit with 12 shots – on the power play against the Bruins while the hosts were 2-for-4. The Islanders are definitely improved on the man advantage from last season in terms of zone entries, shot selection and production but are still just 5-for-32 (15.6%) overall and 0-for-13 in four road games. The Islanders have also allowed opponents six power-play goals on 14 opportunities in their four away matches.
The Hurricanes (6-3-0) have lost two straight and their only win over their preview four games came via shootout. But they and the Devils are expected to be the class of the Metropolitan Division this season.
“You want to get a win against a really good hockey team and one of the best in the league,” Bo Horvat said. “We’ve got to be ready to go Thursday. It’s not going to be an easy night.”
“We’ve got to regroup,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “We’ve got to find a way to be a little sharper for the full 60 minutes.”
That would be a significant step for the Islanders.
Notes & quotes: Goalie David Rittich (2-0-0, 2.01 goals-against average, .940 save percentage) is the expected starter, coach Patrick Roy announced on Monday before adding Ilya Sorokin (2-4-1, 3.75, .868), who has allowed four goals in five of his seven starts, will be back in net on Friday night in Washington to conclude the road trip.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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