Islanders Gameday News: Gone to Carolina

Tonight, the New York Islanders will visit the Carolina Hurricanes, who they have not seen since the first game of the season.

The Islanders come out of a break where they had two days between games for the first time in a month. Carolina, meanwhile, played last night, and tonight will be their third in four nights.

The Impossible April Dream has not yet died, but it is on life support. To have even a sniff of competitive hockey in the final two weeks, the Islanders need to win this game. Carolina has had the Isles’ number for the last few years, seemingly since the sweep in 2019, but the ‘Canes clinched a playoff spot last night by defeating the Sabres. So maybe they’ll feel a little lazy.

First Islander Goal picks go here.

Islanders News

• Some keys to tonight’s game include playing well. [Islanders]
• Kyle Palmieri did not practice yesterday, opting for some maintenance, probably for his swollen right foot. [Isles DTD] But he should be available tonight. [Newsday]
• Take a deeper dive into Noah Dobson’s breakout season, including the turning point and the influence of Zdeno Chara. [The Athletic]
• For this episode of Weird Islanders, Dan instead chats with Bob Dittmeier, the reporter who covered the Capital District Islanders. [LHH]
• A lot happened in Isles history on April 8, but none more important than the Dubie poke check. [This Day in Isles History]

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Rangers shutting out the Penguins, beating them for the third time in a row. But that doesn’t matter once the postseason rolls along.

• Long-time San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson has stepped down from his post after 19 years. [Fear the Fin | NHL | Sportsnet]
• The Chicago Blackhawks announced that next season they will retire Marián Hossa’s no. 81. [NHL]
• The Rangers still don’t know when they’ll get back Kaapo Kakko and Kevin Rooney, both of whom have been on IR for quite a while. [NY Post]
• The Vegas Golden Knights dropped an important home game against the Vancouver Canucks this week. Peter DeBoer was none too pleased. [TSN]
• On Insider Trading, the panel referenced that the next NHL season might start again in mid-October as it did this year, and not because of anyone playing catchup; some U.S. teams liked the later start, as did ESPN. [TSN]
• Despite their meltdown against the Panthers Tuesday night, Travis Yost finds that the Maple Leafs can, in fact, protect a lead. [TSN]
• Teams always love to add “muscle” to their roster this time of year. And there is a multitude of reasons for that. [Sportsnet]
• Denver beat Michigan in overtime in the Frozen Four semifinal. [Sportsnet] In the title game, they’ll face Minnesota State, who throttled Minnesota. [NCAA]