The Hurricanes are a great team, and we knew that coming in. They greatly exposed the Islanders’ weaknesses in the playoffs and the Islanders didn’t do much to address those weaknesses this summer. Which might not have necessarily foreshadowed the result of this game, but it in fact did. This game played eerily similarly to Game 4 last year, don’t know if anyone else noticed that.
The Islanders have played four games of hockey this season; they have been asleep at the wheel in all four first periods they have participated in. They fell behind to the Hurricanes in short order: their speed will make you pay.