The last one. After six difficult months of a shortened schedule due to the Olympics, a schedule featuring three games in four days (with travel), the regular season has ended. With that last game, the Carolina Hurricanes will face the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
The game is scheduled for 7:00 pm EDT.
In the Hurricanes' last game, they took over the top spot in the Eastern Conference by scoring one point in a shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. With the Flyers' win, they clinched their spot in the playoffs – third in the Metropolitan Division – and have their only matchup set for the postseason, as they will play the Pittsburgh Penguins, who finished second in the division.
However, an hour before the start of the last game, it was announced that two players had been recalled from the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves: the goaltender long believed to miss the entire season, and the Wolves' top scorer.
After only being in the crease for three periods through two games in the AHL, Pyotr Kochetkov's conditioning stint came to an end. Meanwhile, two-way forward and playmaker, Felix Unger Sorum may get his NHL debut in the upcoming game.
As far as the islanders are concerned, they have had to face it very badly. The day after the last game with the Hurricanes, he removed Patrick Roy from the head coach role, and brought in former Dallas Stars head coach, Peter DeBoer, to fill his place behind the bench.
If that wasn't enough of a blow, their playoff dreams vanished just 55 seconds into their last game, as the Montreal Canadiens became their nightmare in the second round. In the end, the Islanders scored a goal, but it was not enough. The momentum was claimed by the Canadiens, spurred by chants of Olé, Olé, Olé from fans arriving at UBS Arena. It was honestly pretty sad – and I don't mean it sarcastic.
in the crease
For Carolina, it's not certain who will be in net. However, there is a general expectation that the position will be filled by the same man who was just recalled on Monday, Pyotr Kochetkov. In his time with Wolves, he looked quite sharp, but even so, he did not play the full sixty minutes.
As usual, Frederik Andersen will get the start. However, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Kochetkov come to the crease. This season, Kochetkov has a save percentage of .899 with a goals-against average of 2.33, en route to a 6-2-0 record.
As for the Islanders, they have relied heavily on Ilya Sorokin, who has started 54 of their 81 games. I think they'll probably turn to him to finish with game numbers. 82. This season, he has a save percentage of .906 with a goals-against average of 2.68 with a 29-24-2 record.
Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jespri Kotkaniemi - Bradley Nadeau
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Nicolas Deslauriers
Eric Robinson - Skylar Brind'Amour - Felix Unger Sorum
protect
K'Andre Miller - Jalen Chatfield
Alexander Nikishin - Shawn Walker
Mike Reilly - Charles-Alexis Legault
goaltender
Pyotr Kochetkov / Frederick Anderson
Expected New York Islanders Lines
Anders Lee - Bo Horvat - Simon Holmstrom
Brayden Schenn - Mathew Barzal - Callum Ritchie
Anthony Duclair - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Emile Heinemann
Kyle McLean - Casey Cizikas - Mark Gatcomb
protect
Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pullock
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy - Scott Mayfield
goaltender
Ilya Sorokin / David Rittich
special teams
Carolina Hurricanes Power Play: 25.0% (4th, up two spots from last game)
Carolina Hurricanes Penalty Kill: 80.3% (11th)
New York Islanders Power Play: 16.7% (30th)
New York Islanders Penalty Kill: 80.8% (9th)
storm game notes
Due to absent practices and frequent player swaps at this point in the season, the Hurricanes' lineup for Tuesday's game remains uncertain.
With the new CBA, the Hurricanes' schedule will include two additional regular season games and only four preseason games next season. This is expected to be the final 82-game season league-wide.
The last time the Hurricanes finished top of the Eastern Conference was in the 2005–06 season.
how to see
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan
