We generally do not get odds feeds of alternate totals, etc. on any sport, but we are getting one from Bet365 on this total -- hence the crazy juice (on 5.5 goals, the Under is -115). I'll be surprised if this goes Over 6.5 barring a 3-3 regulation tie, so I'm going to take the rare opportunity.

A team returning home down 0-2 in the series is very much a system play that I have to trust. These Game 3 situations tend to get the group as motivated as they'll ever be to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole. These two teams met last season in the first round. Carolina took the first two games at home, the series went to New York, and the Islanders won Game 3 5-1. I am bumping this down to a .5u play because the way Game 2 ended could just be so demoralizing for the Isles, but I'm expecting a spirited and aggressive effort to make this a series.

If the Islanders are going to get one, it figures to be this one. The Canes lost one of their top defenseman, Brett Pesce, to an injury in the Game 2 comeback win. Winger Jesper Fast missed the first two and not expected back. The Isles are giving Ilya Sorokin his first shot in net of the series. He didn't have a typically great year but historically has been money at home. The Islanders are in an identical situation to last year, trailing 2-0 in the series to the Hurricanes, and they responded with a 5-1 win in Game 3 on home ice. The Isles also ended the regular season with five straight road wins. And we don't even need that.

The Islanders might have needed some psychological counseling after blowing a onetime 3-0 during Game 2 at Raleigh, with the last three Canes goals coming in the final 2:15, turning around what had been a very late 3-2 Isles lead. The takeaway from the first two games, however, is that New York is hardly outclassed, as the Islanders have been skating with the Canes. New York also solved Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen, at least to a degree, on Monday, with Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Anders Lee all scoring goals. Patrick Roy has made one important switch for tonight, as Ilya Sorokin will be in the Islander goal after Semyon Varmalov likely a bit shell-shocked after Monday's late loss. Play Islanders on Money Line