There was a lot to like about the New York Islanders’ performance in Game 1 against the heavily favored Carolina Hurricanes.
The Isles were the better team through the first 40 minutes of the game and arguably deserved a better fate than the 3-1 loss Saturday night.
Game 1 could be viewed as a sign that the Isles weren’t going to get out easily in a series that gave no one a chance to win, or it could be viewed as a missed opportunity.
If they can’t beat the Canes even if they play that well, when will they?
The betting market seems to be leaning towards the latter, as the Islanders are +205 behind in Game 2. They finished ahead of Game 1.
Islanders vs. Hurricanes odds, predictions
(7:30 PM ET)
It certainly wasn’t the Hurricanes’ best performance, but you can’t keep your A game going all postseason, so it’s important to find a way to win even when things are a little off.
Strong goaltending is key to being able to do that, and that’s exactly what happened to the Canes on Saturday night.
When the Islanders tilted the ice in the second period, Frederik Andersen scored for Carolina, stopping 34 of 35 shots and keeping the Hurricanes in contention.
When the series started, you would think the Islanders would be a team that relied on their goalie to grab a game or two, but that script was flipped in Game 1.
Another surprising problem with Game 1 was that neither team got much out of their best players.
Jake Guentzel, Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis were silenced by the Isles, while Matt Barzal, Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson were held by the Hurricanes.
In other words, there is room for improvement for both teams in the second game.
Do you want to bet on the NHL?
It’s very difficult to draw conclusions from Game 1 of a best-of-seven series, but it seems fair that the Isles will have a tougher run than most expected before the puck dropped on Saturday.
And considering their price is still above +200, backing the underdogs in this spot doesn’t seem all that far-fetched.
Bet: Islanders (+205, DraftKings)
