I have no doubt that the New York Islanders will put forth a better effort this evening against the Carolina Hurricanes than they did Thursday night against the Seattle Kraken: It’s the first time the Islanders will play their division rival and playoff kryptonite since the Canes eliminated the Isles in five games back in April. There’s always extra juice against the team that beat you; you want to prove something.
Ultimately, though, that just may not matter because Carolina is clearly better than the Islanders. Last season, the Islanders hosted Carolina for the first matchup of the season series in early November on a Saturday night, and they went up 3-0.