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Hurricanes, Islanders look to rebound from big losses

Oct 25, 2008 - 10:45 AM Carolina (3-2-1) at NY Islanders (2-4-0), 7:00pm EDT

UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- The Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders both look to bounce back from embarrassing losses on Saturday as they face off at Nassau Coliseum in an Eastern Conference showdown.

The Islanders started their three-game homestand on the wrong foot Thursday as the Dallas Stars jumped to an early three-goal load en route to a 5-3 victory. It was New York's second loss in a row and third in four games.

It marked the third time in their last four games that the Islanders have allowed four goals or more - and so far, they have not had the offense to make up for the defensive deficiencies.

The Hurricanes, who missed out on the playoffs by just two points last season, had a defensive breakdown of their own on Thursday. After holding a 1-0 lead through two periods, they surrendered four third-period goals and fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1.

The Penguins turned things around in a hurry, scoring twice in a span of 32 seconds to turn a slim deficit into a lead. The silver lining for Carolina was that 19-year-old center Brandon Sutter - the 11th overall pick in the 2007 draft - scored his first goal in his sixth career game.

Both clubs will be looking to get their offenses going, as they are ranked in the bottom third of the league in goals scored.

The Islanders have just 17 tallies in seven games. Defenseman Mark Streit, who collected three points in Thursday's loss, leads the club with eight - two goals and six assists - this season.