The New York Islanders trail their Round 1 series against the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1. They lost each of the opening three games but came away with the Game 4 double overtime winner to continue the series. While the series may look lopsided, the Islanders are still in it, and there are a plethora of reasons they should not be taken lightly.

Series Has Been Close

Despite being down 3-1, the Islanders have been a tough match in all three of their losses. They gave up the game-winning goal with just under four minutes to go in Game 1, blew a 3-0 lead in Game 2, including three goals in the final three minutes, and lost by one goal in Game 3.

Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour spoke to the media following the Islanders Game 4 win, stating “It’s tough to win four games in a row on someone, especially when the games are even like they are… It’s not like it was 3-0 and we were dominating the games. It could have gone either way in all three, just like tonight could easily have gone the other way.” The reality is the Islanders could be up in this series, so getting a few games to go their way is not out of the question.

Dominating Even Strength

The Islanders had the worst penalty kill in the NHL this season, and the Hurricanes had the best power play. It is no surprise to see the Hurricanes have dominated on the man advantage, but they have struggled elsewhere. Carolina has just seven even-strength goals with the goaltender in net, so if the Islanders can stay out of the penalty box, they will be a much closer series.

Noah Dobson Struggles

Noah Dobson has struggled this series, having just one point in the four games. However, he scored 10 goals and 70 points this season, so any improvement in his play would go a long way. He finished the regular season with an injury but returned for Game 1, so he is still getting re-acclimated to playing fierce hockey again. He looked better in Games 3 and 4 than he did in 1 and 2, so he is due for a great Game 5.

Carolina Has Weaknesses

Entering the playoffs, the Hurricanes were viewed as a dominant force that could beat any team. While that looks like it has been true thus far, the reality is they have not played as well as many would think. They have played an underwhelming physical game, and their shot quality has been quite low.

They have largely relied on the powerplay to score, struggling at even strength to establish possession in the offensive zone. Semyon Varlamov has also been playing some of the best hockey of his career, shutting down Carolina with ease. Carolina has struggled to create high-danger chances, making poor passes with the puck in the offensive zone and taking low-danger shots that will almost never find the back of the net. There is no doubt that this team is capable of winning the Stanley Cup, but they need to improve their offensive game to find more playoff success.

Semyon Varlamov the Brick Wall

Varlamov carried the Islanders into the playoffs with a late-season surge, winning seven of his last eight games of the regular season. In the playoffs, he has dominated, posting a .930 save percentage. 2.08 goals against average, and 4.7 goals saved above expected, according to Moneypuck.

He has looked as stable as ever in the crease, providing confidence to the Islanders’ defense that he will block anything. This is a confidence boost for the Islanders’ defense which has done a good job at minimizing high-danger chances, playing to Varlamov’s strengths. If Varlamov’s play continues, it will be quite challenging for the Hurricanes to score many goals.