The Islanders' next stop on the must-win game tour is Raleigh as they face the Carolina Hurricanes. Jean-Francois Berube will start tonight. Berube is 2-1-1 with a 2.19 GAA and a .929 save pct.
New York has failed to put together a complete 60-minute game in quite some time. Last night the offense woke up and score four goals for the first time since the Rangers game on March 6th. Unfortunately their defense completely let Thomas Greiss down and allowed a season-high seven goals. It's tough to fault Greiss who had his worst game in about two months. Since Halak went down, Greiss is 1-5-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .917 save pct. His numbers are down from earlier in the season but so has been the offense in that stretch.
The Islanders are skating on thin ice so to speak. Losers of five of their last six games, they trail the Penguins by a point for third place in the Metro. The Pens face the Red Wings this afternoon, who trail the Isles by two points for a wild card spot.
Don't sleep on the Hurricanes. Even though it's unlikely they will make the playoffs, they have won three straight against the Islanders. Brian Strait is back in and Ryan Pulock is out. I would've been happy if Cappy gave Thomas Hickey a night off.