At the start of the season, the Hurricanes were seen as the beast of the East, but while they did end up being one of the best teams in the league, injuries to two of their stop stars has slowed the hype train down. As a result, this is a series that is a lot closer than it should be. To get a sense of each team's strengths and weaknesses, let's take a closer look at their respective statistics and compare them head-to-head.
Here's a tale of the tape for the upcoming series:
The Islanders are as mediocre as they’ve ever been, and they rely on their goaltender too much, but somehow, they’ve managed to be as good on offense as the Hurricanes this season and that’s why they’re not a bigger underdog. DraftKings Sportsbook currently lists the Hurricanes as a -205 series favorite. The Islanders are priced at +165.