PREVIEW 8:45 AM EST
Struggling with inconsistency of late, the Flyers (39-15-6) return to action tonight to take on the New York Islanders (23-31-7) at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers are 2-2-1 in their last five games and have scored just 21 non-empty net or shootout goals since the All-Star break. The Islanders are in last place in the Atlantic Division and next-to-last in the Eastern Conference. However, they enter this game having won 7 of 10 but are coming off a 2-1 loss against Toronto after scoring three or more goals in each of their nine previous games.
It's so secret that the Flyers have dominated the Islanders in recent years. Philly has won all three previous meetings with the Islanders this season and have won 18 of their last 19 head-to-head clashes overall. However, blowout games -- like the 6-1 romp in Oct. that turned ugly in the third period and resulted in Danny Briere being suspended for three games -- have been the exception. Most of the games have been close.
Despite losing 3-2 in overtime to Phoenix on Tuesday, the Flyers put in a better all-around effort than the ones they turned in during wins over Florida and the Rangers. The team continues to struggle on the power play and Peter Laviolette attempted an experiment in the Phoenix game that saw him use his 5-on-5 lines rather than the forward combinations he had been using for the first and second power play units.
The club also needs to get more than one forward unit at a time going again at even strength. There were steps taken in that direction in the Phoenix game by the Danny Briere line as well as the already-hot Claude Giroux line. The Mike Richards line has continued to look sporadic.
Sean O'Donnell (sprained knee) is slated to play tonight. Blair Betts (finger laceration) is questionable for tonight.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
JVR - Richards - Versteeg
Nodl - Briere - Leino
Hartnell - Giroux - Carter
Carcillo - Powe - Shelley
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Boucher
[Bobrovsky]
ISLANDERS
Moulson - Tavares - Parenteau
Grabner - Nielsen - Okposo
Comeau - Bailey - Joensuu
Martin - Konopka - Haley
MacDonald - Hamonic
Martinek - Jurcina
Hillen - Wishart
Montoya
[Lawson]
****
According to
the Daily News, Ville Leino has been struggling with the same hip that underwent surgery following his brilliant run in last year's playoffs.
On Monday, Leino missed practice while undergoing an injection of synvisc to lubricate the hip joint. Last week, he had to sit out a game as well. Judging by how well Leino was skating -- there had been a noticeable drop-off in his mobility in recent weeks -- the injection seemed to provide some relief. He also scored a goal in the game.
Last year, Leino quietly took treatment on his hip throughout the playoffs. No one but the team and himself knew that he faced postseason surgery. At the time it was joked that, if that's how a player who needs hip surgery plays, then everyone should injure their hip.
In other words, Leino should be able to manage the condition for the rest of this season as well. The only difference is that it's now public knowledge.
****
The Flyers will learn today whether Nikolay Zherdev has been claimed on waivers. Either way, he has likely spent his final day in the organization. However, if he were to clear waivers, the club would technically have the option of keeping him on its NHL roster instead of assigning him to the minor leagues.
If the Flyers assign Zherdev to the AHL, he would almost certainly refuse to report. At that point, he would either spend the rest of the season on the suspended list or else the Flyers would him on re-entry waivers in an effort to get another team to claim him at half his remaining salary.
The suspicion is that he's already been claimed off waivers. If not, I prefer the Flyers assigning him to the AHL and then suspending him to doing him any favors with re-entry waivers.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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