The Carolina Hurricanes face the New York Islanders in Game Three in what has been a one-sided series thus far. The Hurricanes won Game One 2-1 and then took the second game in overtime to take a comfortable 2-0 series lead. The Islanders have been competitive in the first two games but trail by two games in the series and need to win on their home ice to have any chance in the series. The Hurricanes look to take a commanding series lead while the Islanders hope to bounce back at home and the upcoming game should be a great one.
The Hurricanes won the first two games of this series with their offense stepping up and scoring six goals in the two games including four goals in the Game Two win. Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas, and Stefan Noesen have scored three goals and three assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has stepped up. Jesper Fast, Seth Jarvis, and Paul Stastny have combined for two goals and assists while defensemen Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin have added a goal and five assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense, which allowed only 2.56 goals per game this season, has carried the Hurricanes in the First Round, allowing only four goals in the series. Burns and Slavin have led the top pairing but the entire unit has stepped up with Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Shayne Gostisbehere creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net. A dditionally, goaltender Antti Raanta has stepped up this series, saving 48 of the 52 shots he's faced.