North Raleigh Today

The Carolina Hurricanes are set to conclude their four-game home stand on Tuesday, December 17, facing off against the New York Islanders at Lenovo Center. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN+ and Hulu or listened to on 99.9 The Fan and the Hurricanes App.

As of the latest odds from Fanatics Sportsbook, the Hurricanes are favored with a -240 line. The Hurricanes currently hold a record of 19-10-1, placing them third in the Metropolitan Division with 39 points. Their last match resulted in a decisive 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The visiting Islanders come into this matchup with a record of 12-13-7, which ties them for fifth place in the same division with 31 points. They were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 in their most recent outing.

In their previous meeting this season, Carolina allowed four goals in the second period, leading to a narrow 4-3 defeat against New York.

Carolina has excelled at home this season, scoring more goals at Lenovo Center than any other NHL team has on its home ice. The team has tallied a total of 108 goals through their first 30 games—matching a franchise high for this stage of the season.

Their penalty kill unit has been particularly effective recently, achieving perfection over their last six outings and maintaining an overall kill rate of 85.2% this season, ranking third in the league. Under coach Rod Brind'Amour's leadership since the start of his tenure, they have posted an NHL-best penalty kill percentage of 85%.

The goaltending situation for Tuesday’s game remains open-ended as Pyotr Kochetkov could potentially return after getting some rest. However, Dustin Tokarski's strong performance against Columbus could earn him another start.

On the other hand, despite being last in both power play (12.2%) and penalty kill (64.7%), the Islanders remain competitive within their division. Defenseman Noah Dobson is emerging as one of hockey's top young talents while rookie Maxim Tsyplakov ranks fourth among all first-year players with six goals.

The Hurricanes will don their black uniforms for this matchup and plan to practice Wednesday and Thursday before embarking on a three-game road trip starting Friday against Washington Capitals.

Forward Jack Drury is sidelined for several weeks due to a broken bone in his hand sustained earlier this month; goaltender Frederik Andersen is recovering from knee surgery expected to keep him out until January; forward Jesper Fast was ruled out for this entire season back in August.

Following Tuesday’s game against New York Islanders, Carolina’s next encounter is scheduled for Friday night when they visit Washington D.C., followed by hosting New Jersey Devils later that month.