Hurricanes vs Islanders Odds, Picks: NHL Game 6 Prediction

Hurricanes vs Islanders Game 6 Odds

Heading back to New York, the Carolina Hurricanes look to close out their series against the New York Islanders. The Hurricanes struggled in Game 5 and let the Islanders get the best of them. Now, they re-enter enemy territory, where they dominated New York in Game 4.

The Islanders are looking to do what very few teams can accomplish — come back from down 3-1.

Here’s a look at the odds, as well as a betting prediction for Game 6 between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.

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Carolina Hurricanes

There’s one word to describe the Hurricanes: hobbled. They’ll be without Teuvo Teravainen, Andrei Svechnikov and Jack Drury once again. Sebastian Aho has played lights out with six points and Brent Burns has also performed well. Stefan Noesen has had a solid series and so has youngster Seth Jarvis as each have a pair of goals.

Carolina has made its presence felt on the offensive end this series, especially on the power play. While the power play wasn’t particularly great during the season, it’s scoring at a 21.7% pace in the postseason. Additionally, the Hurricanes are fifth in expected goals with a 51.68 xGF%.

Defensively, it’s hard to find a team deeper than the Hurricanes. However, they’ve given up a decent amount of chances 5-on-5 with a 2.69 xGA/60. Their penalty kill was second best all season long, and playing the Islanders' terrible power play has made the PK look even better.

Antti Raanta has played like a number one goalie in this series. Aside from letting in a few clunkers in Game 5, Raanta has held strong, playing to a .909 SV% and +0.4 goals saved above expected (GSAx).

New York Islanders

In Game 5, Pierre Engvall made his mark on the series. Kyle Palmieri always shows up in the postseason and is averaging a point per game. New York needs more from its top line with Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and Anders Lee, though they’re starting to play a bit better.

The start of the game matters here. In Game 4, the Islandes played like they were shot out of a cannon, but early penalty troubles stifled them. The offense hasn't clicked a ton in these playoffs with a 48.32 xGF% and an abysmal 1-for-24 power play, but I think there is a chance for a spark if they stay responsible.

The Islanders struggles on the defensive end continue to baffle me. While they’ve been inconsistent at 5-on-5 defense, the penalty kill was their bread and butter. Now in the postseason, they have a below average 78.3% PK and are third worst with a 2.88 xGA/60.

I’ve loved what I’ve seen out of Ilya Sorokin these playoffs. Apart from playing like a top-three goalie during the season, Sorokin is playing to a lethal .923 SV% and a +1.8 GSAx. He may have kept the Islanders hopes alive in Game 5 with a tremendous save in the third period during a Carolina power play.

Hurricanes vs. Islanders Pick

This series has been such an odd one. I actually think the Hurricanes have outplayed the Islanders, but Sorokin has stumped them for the most part. Despite goaltending being a factor in this series, three out of the five games have gone over 5.5 goals. What’s even more enticing is that the over is priced at +116 on FanDuel. There is a ton of opportunity for scoring, especially since Carolina has done well on the power play.

As a bonus, in each game, every first period has gone under 1.5 goals. I think these teams usually go through a feeling out phase before the scoring starts in the second period.

Pick: Over 5.5 (+116) | Under 1.5 Goals in 1st Period (-142)