Upcoming Match-ups

Hurricanes Now -170 Favorites to Win Series vs Islanders After Taking Game 1

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in NHL Hockey

Updated Mar 30, 2020 · 2:55 PM PDT

Carolina Hurricanes celebration
The Carolina Hurricanes lead the New York Islanders 1-0 in their Stanley Cup Eastern Conference semifinal series. Photo By @NHLCanes (Twitter)
  • Oddsmakers now list the Carolina Hurricanes as favorites to win their Stanley Cup playoff series from the New York Islanders following their Game 1 victory
  • The Islanders were favored entering the series
  • Carolina has reached the final four the last three times the team qualified for postseason play

When it comes to the Stanley Cup, the Carolina Hurricanes are kind of like that most interesting man in the world fellow from those Dos Equis ads. They don’t always make the playoffs, but when they do, they do it very well.

With Friday’s 1-0 shutout of the New York Islanders, the Hurricanes have taken the first step toward making it four-for-four.

Hurricanes vs Islanders Series Odds

Team Odds to Win Series
Carolina Hurricanes -170
New York Islanders +150

*Odds taken on 04/27/19

They’ve also moved into the driver’s seat when it comes to the series outcome, according to the odds on offer. The sportsbook now favors Carolina to win the series.

At the outset of this series, oddsmakers pegged the Islanders as the -125 chalk to win the series.

You could say that they stay thirsty to drink from Lord Stanley’s mug.

This is just the fourth time since the 2001-02 NHL season that the Hurricanes have found themselves in the Stanley Cup tournament. In each of their three previous visits, Carolina reached the Stanley Cup final four.

Category Final Four Hurricanes

This is Carolina’s first trip to the playoffs since 2008-09, when they lost the Eastern Conference final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 2005-06, Carolina won the first and so far only Stanley Cup in franchise history, topping the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Four seasons earlier, the Hurricanes made it to the Stanley Cup final for the first time ever, losing in five games to the Detroit Red Wings.

The good news if you’re an Islanders backer is that the last three times Carolina was in the playoffs, either the Hurricanes won the Cup or the team that eliminated them did.

On the other hand, the Isles have lost the last nine series in which they’ve fallen behind.

Home-Ice Disadvantage?

The Islanders have split this season utilizing two venues as home ice. They played 20 regular-season games in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, going 12-8 and 21 games on Long Island at the Nassau County Coliseum, posting a 12-9 slate.

In the opening round sweep of Pittsburgh, both of New York’s home wins were at the Coliseum. They’ll be at the Barclays Center for the remainder of postseason play and are already 0-1 there.

Home teams are 28-22 so far in the playoffs. The only series where home ice came heavily to the fore was the Carolina-Washington set. The home team won the first six games.

YouTube video

But when it mattered most in Game 7, the Hurricanes defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals right in their own backyard.

If they can do that, they’ll have no problem disposing of the Islanders.

Author Image