Islanders host Hurricanes in crowded Metro battle

NEW YORK -- The NHL season is not even a quarter complete, which should mean it's far too early to wonder about playoff implications of a particular game.

But all norms go out the window in the Metropolitan Division, which the Carolina Hurricanes and the host New York Islanders will both have postseason seeding at least somewhere in their minds when they meet Thursday night at Barclays Center.

The game Thursday will end a mini-break for the Islanders, who haven't played since Saturday, when they snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the host St. Louis Blues 5-2. The Hurricanes won for the third time in four games Monday, when they scored four unanswered goals in the third period of a 5-1 victory over the visiting Dallas Stars.

The Islanders (9-6-2) and Hurricanes (7-5-4) are separated by only two points and embody the competitiveness of the Metropolitan Division, where the Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers are tied for last place but only six points behind the first-place New Jersey Devils.

The Islanders and Hurricanes will be looking to establish the type of consistency that could separate them from the pack. New York won six of eight prior to its two-game skid.

"We've been good enough for 9-6-2, but we're not there yet," Islanders right winger Cal Clutterbuck told Newsday following practice Wednesday. "The Devils are in the mix. Carolina's a really good team and they're near the bottom. The Rangers struggle for a couple weeks and now they're right back in it."

The Rangers have won six straight following a 3-7-2 start to move into a tie with the Islanders for fifth place in the Metro as well as the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"You can't have a bad stretch," Clutterbuck said.

Carolina learned that the perils of a bad stretch by dropping six of seven (1-4-2) before its current spurt.

"It's coming in the right direction," Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said following Monday's victory. "You want instant gratification, but it's not the way it works. But now everyone's getting comfortable and we're getting some results and some wins."

Both teams will likely stick with the hot hand in goal.

Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss improved to 2-0-1 in his last three starts by stopping 35 shots in Saturday's win. Hurricanes netminder Scott Darling remained unbeaten in regulation in his last six starts (3-0-3) by recording 25 saves in Monday's victory.

Greiss is 3-3-1 in eight career appearances against the Hurricanes. Darling is 2-1-0 in three career games against the Islanders.

Both teams should be at or close to full strength Thursday. Islanders center Josh Bailey and Josh Ho-Sang, each of whom battled a flu-like ailment during the four-day break, both practiced Wednesday. Right winger Anthony Beauvillier, who missed Saturday's game with an ankle injury, also returned to practice.

The game Thursday will be the first of two between the Islanders and Hurricanes in a four-day span. Carolina hosts New York at PNC Arena on Sunday afternoon.