The NY Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes are playing live on the NHL schedule on Friday night as the lone game after the opening night matchups and the game is live from PNC Arena at 7 pm ET as the hockey season gets fully underway and New York will be pushing John Tavares to lead the way after he had a strong season last year for the Isles.

The Islanders come into the game after a loss against the Bruins in their final preseason game and now the schedule starts up with the Hurricanes. The teams are playing a home and home on Friday and Saturday and the second matchup comes after a full slate on Thursday. The Saturday schedule has everyone else in action and that second game will be in Long Island after this matchup in Carolina.

Last season Tavares stepped up big sand the Islander feel that they can make a playoff run this season after the moves they have made. Tavares had 24 goals and 42 assists last season and had 66 points and he now has continued to develop into one of the best young players in the league after being the number one pick back in 2009. The team now has made two big trades ahead of the season with Johnny Boychuk from the Bruins and Nick Leddy from Chicago and that gives the Islanders more depth and it also elevates their talent overall on the team.

The Islanders had to give up some draft picks in the deal, but for the team to compete this season, they had to make some moves. The Bruins felt they had to deal him because of money issues and now the Islanders get a very good player. The Islanders have not had much success lately and while the Rangers made a run to the Stanley Cup last season, the team now feels it has some hope heading into this year. Tavares is an MVP candidate and if he stays healthy the team has a chance in the east.

Check here for the NY Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes live coverage