Carolina @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 8, 2019 ) Carolina 4, NY Islanders 3

The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes each did their part to prevent what had become a signature second-round matchup between Metropolitan Division rivals. So, instead of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin renewing acquaintances for the third straight year, Game 1 on Friday will feature the upstart Hurricanes visiting the Islanders at Barclays Center.

New York is well-rested after completing a sweep Pittsburgh on April 16 while Carolina went the extra mile -- and then some -- before posting a 4-3 double-overtime win over Washington on Wednesday in Game 7 of their first-round series. "I know they're probably sitting there licking their chops. I know we all would be with the way this series went. Seven games, overtime, the grind that this series was, the injuries that have racked up. They've been sitting there for 10 days," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said of the Islanders. Carolina and New York are meeting for the first time since Jan. 8, when the Hurricanes posted a 4-3 victory to prevent a four-game sweep in the regular-season series. Captain Justin Williams scored the go-ahead goal with 2:42 remaining in the third period of that last meeting with the Islanders and set up Brock McGinn's series-clinching goal against the Capitals.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS

ABOUT THE HURRICANES: Petr Mrazek won 11 of final 13 games in the regular season before posting a 2.54 goals-against average versus Washington. Defenseman Jaccob Slavin led the team in points in the first round with his club-best nine assists while rookie Warren Foegele had four goals. Sebastian Aho, who led the team with 30 goals in the regular season, mustered just two assists in the season series with the Islanders.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS: Jordan Eberle, who led the team in goals (four) and points (six), tied Ray Ferraro as the only members of Islanders to score a goal in each of the first four playoff games while Mathew Barzal notched a club-best five assists. Eberle, however, failed to record a point in all four meetings with Carolina while Barzal set up a pair of goals in the series. Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner posted a playoff-best 1.47 goals-against average and a .956 save percentage in the first-round series, although he watched Thomas Greiss turn aside 129 of 136 shots while playing in all four regular-season meetings with the Hurricanes.

OVERTIME

1. New York LW Josh Bailey collected three goals and an assist in the first round and had two and three, respectively, in the season series versus the Carolina.

2. The Hurricanes went 3-for-25 with the man advantage in the first round while the Islanders thwarted 10-of-11 power-play situations.

3. Friday's NHL game will be the first at Barclays Center since New York's 5-2 win against Edmonton on Feb. 16.

PREDICTION: Islanders 3, Hurricanes 1