Islanders at Hurricanes
The New York Islanders are pinning their future on their new arena planned for Long Island in 2021, but first the club must deal with the remnants of the past and filling a cavernous on-ice void. The Islanders open the season at the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night minus longtime captain John Tavares, who left for Toronto via free agency in the offseason.
"John's a great player; it's tough to replace him," reigning Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal said. "But now that's over with. You've got to look ahead. I'm excited for the challenge. We've got a lot of other guys here that I'm assuming are excited to fill a bigger role." Barzal will be the primary player counted upon to take over for Tavares on a team that cleaned house in the offseason and brought in Lou Lamoriello as president of hockey operatons and Barry Trotz as head coach after guiding Washington to the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes overhauled their roster and also have a change behind the bench, hiring Rod Brind'Amour to replace Bill Peters and hoping it will help end a playoff drought of nine seasons -- the longest run in the league. "I want to play a style that's fun to watch, No. 1, and that means we're going to skate," Brind'Amour said. "I'm not too concerned how we win. If we win 10-9, I'm good. If we win 2-1, that's even better. But we need to be able to play both."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Carolina, MSG-Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (2017-18: 36-35-11, 6TH in METROPOLITAN): Former Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner and fellow forwards Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan were among a slew of departures while forward Micheal Ferland and defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Calvin deHaan were roster additions. Goaltender Petr Mrazek will shoulder an early load after Scott Darling was hurt in the final preseason game and is expected to miss two weeks. “It’s a setback, no doubt. But that’s why we got Petr in here, too," Brind'Amour said. "It makes my decision a lot easier on who we’re going to throw out there to start on opening night." Sebastian Aho led the team with 29 goals last season.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (2017-18: 35-37-10, 7TH in METROPOLITAN): Coming off a season in which he had 22 goals and a team-leading 85 points, Barzal was elevated to the No. 1 center slot previously held by Tavares, who scored 278 goals in his nine seasons. Barzal will center Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier while Brock Nelson is on the No. 2 line along with 40-goal scorer Anders Lee and 71-point scorer Josh Bailey. Depth is an issue with the bottom-six fowards, hence the signings of veterans Valtteri Filppula and Leo Komarov. New York surrendered a league-worst 296 goals in 2017-18 and needs either Robin Lehner or Thomas Greiss to bolster the goaltending.
OVERTIME
1. Carolina claimed G Curtis McElhinney on waivers from Toronto on Tuesday.
2. Lee has four goals and five assists in nine games versus the Hurricanes over the past two seasons.
3. The Hurricanes were 5-0-1 in the preseason.