Islanders vs. Hurricanes: Life without Pelech [Game #10 thread]

The New York Islanders host the team that ousted them last spring, the Carolina Hurricanes, for their tenth game of a thus-far pleasant 5-2-2 season.

They’ll do so without Adam Pelech, something that was expected but was surprisingly confirmed by the team at today’s morning skate.

The Canes are off to a 6-5-0 start — uneven and disappointing by their current standards, which include being a favorite to win the division and contend for an elusive Cup. (It’s hard to say a Cup is “elusive” for a franchise that won it in 2006, but they’ve been on a good run under Rod Brind’Amour and many feel like they’ll break all the way through one of these years.)

While there is zero advantage to the Islanders facing a pressing offense without Pelech, at least they enter the game having prepared for that possibility. Thursday night when they lost him early in the first, it was a bit of a scramble to make do — thankfully Semyon Varlamov had their back.

Game time is allegedly 7:30 at Belmont. This is our game thread, be yours to hold it high.