Last Minute Hurricanes News, Reports, Updates Heading into Hurricanes VS Islanders

It is Hurricanes game day with a divisional Metro division matchup on Long Island tonight. We have a preview of the game, projected lineups, projected starter in the net. Nothing gets us more excited. Nothing gets me more excited than Hurricanes game day, especially against a division opponent. How do the Hurricanes match up against the Islanders? What will the keys to victory be? And who's going to start in net for the Canes? Welcome to Hurricanes Digest. I'm Jeff Testanero. Need you to hit that subscribe button, Caniacs. The push to 26 is moving on and we want all of you. Involved here at Hurricanes Digest, I thank everybody already who has and I'm going to thank everybody who will subscribe. Also reminder, we're over on our socials. We're over on X at Canes Digest. Click follow for more over there as well. Nothing gets me more fired up than game day versus a divisional opponent. Especially the Long Island Fish Sticks. For some reason, I get real jazzed up when the Hurricanes are playing the Islanders. I love it. You love it. We all love it. The Hurricanes are on Long Island tonight looking to get back in that win column against the New York Islanders. Carolina enters at 12-3-2 with 26 points. The Islanders are 7-5-2. It is the first meeting of the season between these Metro division rivals with both teams coming off a loss. So, yeah, Hurricanes are going to get the win. For Carolina, this finishes a two-game trip that opened Tuesday in Nashville. The Hurricanes did lose that game 4-1, ending their four-game win streak, tonight gives them an opportunity to respond before heading home to Raleigh. Puck drops seven Eastern at the UBS Arena. You can watch everything. It's everywhere. HHN, ESPN Plus if you're outside that radius there. I'm going to stop there. You know, everything's going to be there. Carolina is also scheduled to wear red on the road with the Islanders bringing out their hometown remix uniforms, which are white and have the nice little fish stick. Gordon's fisherman on them. Yeah, real cute there, Islanders. One hurricane, you know, bringing a scoring streak into tonight is Jackson Blake. Love me some Jackson Blake. He has points in seven consecutive games with three goals, six assists. During that stretch, his goal in Nashville kept the run going, even though they did lose. Blake now has 17 points in 17 games, including a team-leading 13 assists. He has been a constant contributor alongside Stank and Ehlers, and that group remains together. In our projected lineup, which we'll get to in a bit, the immediate goal is straightforward. Respond to the Nashville loss and finish the trip with a win. Carolina won all three meetings against the Fish Sticks last season. Tonight starts a new season series with the Hurricanes looking to pick up where they left off against this opponent last year. Brandon Bussey is projected as the starter tonight on Long Island, which is nice. He's a Long Island boy heading back to Long Island to give the Hurricanes a win. He enters with 2-2-2 record through six starts and 3.27 goals against average and a .865 save percentage, you know? Those are our numbers entering what could be his first appearance in maybe two weeks. It's all right. He got some time to breathe. Piotr got his run. Piotr deserves a break. And Bussey is heading. Home to Long Island to get a 3-2-2 record. I'm calling it now. Bussey last season started October 22nd in Edmonton. Since then, Pyotr Kochetkov has handled the net, extending his opening win streak to 10 before suffering his first loss Tuesday in Nashville. Tonight could bring Bussey back into the rotation. Yeah, why not? For this preview, I'm going with Bussey rather than calling the assignment confirmed. That's what I'm going with because, well, it's Rod and we know Rod. Ryan Henkel. Game Day Preview also lists him as an expected starter, which gives my projection a little more firepower. Carolina did not hold a morning skate, so the final pregame update remains important. If anything surrounding the goaltending thing comes down differently, I'll let you know at some point. The projected matchup at the other end, of course, is Sorokin. Sorokin enters with six wins. And four losses, a 2.41 GAA, and a .91 save percentage. Both names remain projections here pending the team's final announcement. But let's face it, we know Sorokin's going to start, and I got my money on the bus rolling into Long Island. Bussey has had success against the Fish Sticks, winning all three of his previous appearances against the Islanders. That gives him some positive history with this opponent as he is prepared for a possible return to game action tonight. After an extended stretch between starts, the opening minutes would be Bussey's chance to settle back into the game, get some ice time. For the Canes, this is an opportunity to support him with a stronger team performance. After Tuesday's loss, they looked a little flat. I'll admit it, Nashville looked a lot sharper. Their defense was actually pretty good than their record suggests. So whatever, moving on. In front of the projected starter. um The lineup remains the same that they've been using. starting The main availability question is Taylor Hall. Jordan Staal is out while Hall could return tonight, but his return looks doubtful. to It's a doubtful period. Carrier projects with Aho and Svech. speak Ehlers, Stank and Blake, Marty Party, Janko and Jarvie make up the next line with Robinson, KK, who is hot. now. Let's go, KK. And Nick Delorier, they complete the projected forward group. I would love to see Delorier knock Barzal back out to the injured reserve list because Barzell is back. He was no contact, so maybe he won't play, but maybe he will play. I don't know, just knock somebody into the sound. On defense, Jacob Slavin projects with Jalen Chatfield. Signed Chatfield. Keandre Miller stays alongside Sean Walker. The ghost. And Yuso, Valmalki, Valmalki? I always get the name Valmalki. It sounds a lot better. But Valmalki, round out the three pairs. He's a vet, and he's good, and I like him. I just think the name Valmalki sounds a lot more badass than Valmalki. But it is what it is. Those are the published combinations entering tonight. Anything changes before puck drop, I will do my best to keep you informed. Hall had three goals and two assists in eight games before his injury. Getting him back would give Carolina another experienced forward and another defensive option. The question is whether he is feeling ready to return tonight and if Rod feels comfortable and the doctors feel comfortable putting him into the lineup. Hall did practice on Wednesday. After skating with the group ahead of the Nashville game, Brendamore indicated that the decision about returning would come down to Hall's readiness. That keeps his status as one of the details to watch before warm-ups. Stall remains on the IR with his calf injury. Hall's availability is still unconfirmed as of now. If he plays, the forward lines and the final scratch lines will change until that update arrives. The published projection remains strong because I'm going with it. For the Islanders, Bo Horvat is one of the main players to watch. He leads the Fishies with seven goals and has 14 points. Young defenseman Matthew Schaefer also has 14 points, giving the Islanders production from the blue line as well. A quick look at special teams. Carolina's power play is converting at 23.3% compared with New York's 15.9%. The Islanders have killed. 86% of their penalties, while the Canes, you know, they're at 83.9%. New York's projected, you know, towards the beginning. Holmsten, Horvat, Palmieri, and a whole bunch of other guys in there, as you can see. Sezikis, Sezikis is still there. Gabriel Pajot, JG Pajot is in there, and a whole bunch of guys who are going to be really, really, really, really sad. Really sad after tonight. New York is dealing with several listed absences, including Barzal, Romanov. Richie Polak and the rest, those injuries have affected the Islanders' available lineup, making their final combinations another pregame to check. Going to be nice if we can head back to Raleighwood with a big win. Carolina looks to respond. Bussey is the projected starter in net. Hall could give the forward group another option. Maybe not. Maybe so. Who knows? I This is the picture heading into tonight's first meeting don't with the New York Islanders. 7 Eastern, UBS Arena. Canes, fish sticks, be there. I'll be there. Always an exciting time when we take on the fish sticks. know. Fishy, fishy, fishy. Here we go. If anything else comes down, I'll be the first to let you know. Going to be really excited to see the Hurricanes get back on the winning track. I know it's just one loss, but... Hurricanes always respond well after one loss. What, last season they never had two losses in a row or something like that. What a team. What a team heading on to Long Island this evening. People say in Long Island. You can't be in Long. You're on Long Island. You're in Raleigh, but you're on Long Island. Anyway, if anything else comes down, I'll be the first to let you know. Until then, for Hurricanes Digest, I'm Jeff Testanero. Let's go Canes. Let's go fishing, folks.