The Islanders’ first-round opponent has been set.
Following the Hurricanes’ 6-4 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, New York has captured the first wild card spot and will travel to Carolina in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Islanders lost the season series, 3-1, with their only victory coming in the first game back in October. In that matchup, the Islanders won 6-2 with Brock Nelson grabbing two third-period goals to put the game away.
New York would lose the next three games by a score of 3-0, 5-2 and 2-1. That last matchup happened on April 2. Jean-Gabriel Pageau gave the Islanders an early lead, but the Hurricanes would tie it in the second and take the lead early in the third period for the eventual win.
The Islanders and Hurricanes have met just once in the playoffs. In their 2019 series, Carolina would sweep the Isles and outscored them, 13-5.
New York will look to reverse that trend and pick up a major upset when the playoffs begin.
