The New York Islanders visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Puck drop from PNC Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2). The Hurricanes lead the series 1-0. Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Islanders vs. Hurricanes odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Islanders were on the short end of a 2-1 loss in Game 1 on Monday, and discipline was the difference. New York RW Hudson Fasching was whistled for a trip at 3:42 of the 1st period, and just 5 seconds later Carolina C Sebastian Aho cashed in with a power-play goal to open the scoring.
New York D Ryan Pulock was called for a slash on RW Stefan Noesen at 1:40 of the 2nd period, and Noesen stepped up and scored on the man advantage just 47 seconds later to give the Canes a 2-0 lead.
That goal stood up as the game-winning tally, as Pulock avenged himself with a goal in the 2nd period to slice the lead in half. That put a bow on the scoring and was as close as New York could get.
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Islanders at Hurricanes Game 2 odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:15 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Islanders +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Hurricanes -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Islanders +1.5 (-190) | Hurricanes -1.5 (+155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5 (O: -135 | U: +110)
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Islanders at Hurricanes Game 2 projected goalies
Ilya Sorokin (31-22-7, 2.34 GAA, .924 SV%, 6 SO – regular season) vs. Antti Raanta (21-11-1, 2.48 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO – regular season)
Sorokin did enough to keep his team in the game, stopping 35 of 37 shots. The Russian netminder never allowed a 5-on-5 goal, stopping 31 shots in even-strength situations.
Raanta was the surprise starter in Game 1 over G Frederik Andersen, as head coach Rod Brind’Amour obviously liked the way Raanta played down the stretch as well as in last season’s playoff run. Raanta turned aside 25 of the 26 shots he faced for his 7th career postseason win.
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Islanders at Hurricanes Game 2 picks and predictions
Prediction
Hurricanes 3, Islanders 2
Moneyline
The HURRICANES (-175) are a little on the expensive side, but Carolina has been money at home in recent seasons in the postseason.
Carolina went 7-1 last season on home ice in the playoffs, only losing Game 7 in the second round to the New York Rangers.
The Islanders have dropped 4 in a row on the road, including 2 trips to Raleigh.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Islanders +1.5 (-190) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return if you want a little insurance and think this will be another 1-goal game.
I have a feeling we’re going to see a close contest and it wouldn’t be surprising if we needed extra time. However, this is too high of a price to pay with very little reward.
PASS.
Over/Under
I am looking for the Over/Under 5 to land right on the number.
This is a very low total, so I’d lean Over 5 (-135) if anything, but that’s quite a hefty price tag for a total and I have a feeling we’ll see a slight uptick in scoring. We definitely won’t see a total of 6 or more goals, so there is no point in risking it.
PASS.
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