Islanders vs. Hurricanes prediction: Stanley Cup Playoffs odds, picks, best bets

Even when things have looked hopeful for the New York Islanders, they have still been fighting an uphill battle against a deep, and frankly more adept, Carolina Hurricanes team. 

Their best chance to grab the momentum in their best-of-seven first-round series was in Game 2, when when they led 3-0 midway through the second period before an utter meltdown of five unanswered goals ensued.

Switching between goaltenders and playing on home ice didn’t seem to make much of a difference in Game 3. 

Let’s identify an approach to the lines for Saturday’s Game 4 and suggest a play that presents inviting value. 

Hurricanes vs. Islanders odds

Hurricanes vs. Islanders prediction & pick

On Thursday, the Isles played a responsible three periods, outshot the Canes 31-22 and even doubled their high-danger scoring chances.

But whatever looks they did get were met with some acrobatic netminding by Frederik Anderson, who has been locked in all series with a .922 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average. 

All three games have been dictated by the Hurricanes at five-on-five play. Their aggressive and effective blue-line fortification has rendered the Isles visibly frustrated with attempting zone entry. 

Nobody else in the NHL plays a style quite like that of the Hurricanes, and solving the complex puzzles they present you is partially why they are Stanley Cup favorites (+380, DraftKings). 

The Isles are poised to show resilience in Friday’s elimination game, but we’ve now seen this situation play out all series long and it hasn’t changed results.

In fact, we’ve seen it all season long; just when you thought all was lost on Long Island, the Isles willed their way back into contention.

The problem is that this fluctuating course isn’t sustainable in the playoffs — especially against a rock-stubborn Hurricanes team that has had answers for every hand the Isles have played. 

There’s a difference between a team that’s designed to succeed in the playoffs versus one that’s built to squeak themselves in and let the chips fall. 

Betting on the NHL?

Well, the chips aren’t the only thing falling now. 

It would take some fortuitous bounces to gain an edge in Game 4, which is what the Islanders have been fishing for all series.

From a tactical standpoint, the Hurricanes leave the margin of error simply too thin, and Patrick Roy is at his wits’ end, which lends enough reason to grab Carolina’s price on the puck line. 

Pick: Hurricanes -1.5 (+150, FanDuel)