Oh have I missed these. Carolina return to the ice for a regular-season game for the first time this season. We have missed Carolina Hurricanes hockey and we get to go back to the old Metropolitan division, with a familiar foe for game 1. Carolina’s season opener against the New York Islanders sees two of the best teams in the division go head to head in what could be a very early playoff preview.
Obviously, there will be some rust for both teams. Neither team has played a competitive game since being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the playoffs last season. Both will be looking for retribution as they go head to head tonight at PNC Arena. Carolina will look to get two points to kick off the season against a difficult Islanders crew to overcome.
New York is a formidable opponent. Fresh off extending defenseman Ryan Pulock for big money, the Carolina Hurricanes are going to be tasked with beating the Long Island inhabitants and their difficult system. We all know the Islanders are perhaps the best team in the NHL at compensating for their weaknesses, and they will have a different look tonight at PNC Arena.
We know that Carolina will want to start the season on a winning note and beating the Islanders would set the tone for the season. There’s no easy game in the NHL, and a team that has only been bested by the Stanley Cup Champions in each of the last two years promises to be a great opponent for the Canes on opening night at PNC Arena. Here are the three keys to how to beat the New York Islanders.