RALEIGH, N.C. — The last time the Islanders played in what is now the Lenovo Center, their night ended in Game 5 of the first round, when their 2023-24 season came to an unforgettable end.
So it's no surprise that once they return, they hope Tuesday will be the day the 2024-25 season kicks off in earnest against the Hurricanes.
It's unclear whether Anthony Duclair will make his long-awaited return from a suspected groin injury against Carolina, or whether Bo Horvat, who missed Sunday's game, will return to NHL .500 and return to the lineup. A playoff berth would get the Isles back on track after Sunday's disappointing loss.
With Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech back in the lineup, excuses are starting to run out.
Sunday was the seventh straight game in which the Islanders allowed a lead, a trend that continued slowly.
Tuesday would be a good time to make a first-term statement.
“We just need to pop the first one. I think it's a no-brainer,” Anders Lee said after Sunday's game. “Recently, opposing teams have gotten their first one. We feel like we're on the back foot. We just have to go out there and chase the first one right away.”
The inability to play at 60 points, whether in the first or third period, has been a constant for the Islanders all year, explaining why they are currently below NHL .500 and outside the cut line for the playoffs. It helps a lot to do that.
Against a high-end offensive team like the Hurricanes, the Islanders can't escape the mistakes that have plagued them of late.
“I thought we got better throughout the game,” Lee said of the loss to Chicago. “But we have to go after this from the beginning.”
The Islanders went undefeated in Raleigh during last year's regular season, but lost each of their last three games in the playoffs.
This is the ninth time in club history that the Islanders have had eight players play in at least 500 games with the team, and the first time since Jan. 2, 1986, according to team statistician Eric Hornig.
The Islanders did not practice Monday.
