Game 68 Preview: FLYERS @ ISLANDERS
Interim head coach Scott Gordon's Philadelphia Flyers (32-27-8) are in Uniondale on Saturday to take on Barry Trotz's New York Islanders (39-21-7). Game time at the former Nassau Coliseum is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast can be found on 97.5 FM The Fanatic with an online simulcast at FlyersRadio247.com.
This is the third of four meetings this season between the Metro Division teams, the second and final on Long Island, and the second of three games within the month of March. The season series concludes at the Wells Fargo Center on March 23.
In Philadelphia on Oct. 27, the Flyers suffered an ugly 6-2 blowout loss to the Islanders. Brock Nelson scored twice for the Islanders, while Leo Komarov, Anthony Beauvillier, Adam Pelec and Anders Lee (power play) tallied one apiece. Michal Neuvirth stopped 16 shots off 22 shots. Robin Lehner made 22 saves on 23 shots. The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play, and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
In Uniondale last Sunday (March 3), the Flyers prevailed, 4-1, despite playing with only 10 forwards for nearly the entire game. The Flyers got goals from Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim (9th) as they took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission. The lead doubled in the middle frame on goals by Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier. Stellar goaltending from Brian Elliott (29 saves on 30 shots) was the backbone of the victory. Philly did a good overall shutdown job in the third period despite New York getting one goal back in the final five minutes.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers are 17-5-2 over their last 24 games. The team has claimed points in eight of their last 11 games (7-3-1). However, the team is coming off a 5-3 home loss to Washington on Wednesday night.
A three-goal rally by the Flyers at the tail end of the second period and into the third period did not obscure what was a poor overall performance against the Capitals.
In the waning seconds of the second period, Phil Myers scored the first goal of his NHL career, assisted by Claude Giroux (52nd) and Sean Couturier (35th). Giroux tallied (20th, seventh season in his career of reaching the 20-plus goal mark) on the opening shift of the third period, with helpers to Oskar Lindblom (15th) and Couturier (36th). Scott Laughton, who had taken an unnecessary penalty earlier in the period, got the Flyers back to within two goals as he scored (10th) on a deflection. Andrew MacDonald (9th) and Michael Raffl (11th) got the assists.
Coming off a brilliant performance against the Islanders on Sunday afternoon, Elliott had a tough night against the Caps; an abbreviated 24:18 outing that saw him give up three goals he'd liked to have had back among four goals against on 19 shots. Cam Talbot went the rest of the way.
Elliott will get the start on Saturday. The backup will either be Talbot or Carter Hart (ankle), who may be ready now at least for backup duty and might be able to make his next start as soon as Monday against Ottawa.
The Flyers received some good news, roster-wise, on Friday: Nolan Patrick passed protocol to return to play from the injury he suffered when getting struck behind his ear with a puck in the last game against the Islanders. Jakub Voracek (lower body) practiced on Friday as well, and is also set to return to the lineup for this game.
Philly elected once again to drop down to 12 forwards on the active roster with the news that Patrick and Voracek will play. The team sent right winger Justin Bailey down to the Phantoms again on Friday.
Lots of things would need to fall in the Flyers' favor over the
final 15 games for the team to sneak into the lower wildcard spot.
Philly was idle on Friday but got some outside help, with the Montreal Canadiens getting blown out in Anaheim and the Carolina Hurricanes also losing in regulation. The Flyers currently hold two games in hand over the Habs, who do not play again until Tuesday. If Philly can muster a road win over the Islanders and then earn a home win over Ottawa on Monday, the Flyers will be four points (three standings points plus a ROW tiebreaker disadvantage) behind the Habs.
The caveat: Philly would also need help from the Columbus Blue Jackets' next two opponents -- Pittsburgh on Saturday and the Islanders on Monday -- to prevent Columbus from overtaking the Habs and themselves moving into playoff position. Two points from Columbus over their next two games would, via ROW tiebreaker, be enough to drop Montreal below the playoff cutoff line. Regulation losses by the Blue Jackets in their next games, paired with two Flyers wins, would put the Flyers three points (two standings points and a ROW tiebreaker disadvantage) away from overtaking Columbus and four away from passing Montreal.
Islanders Outlook
The Islanders have been overtaken by Washington (winners of six straight games) for first place in the Metro. New York, which has won two in a row since their back-to-back losses last weekend, is two points and a 36-35 ROW disadvantage behind the Capitals. New York holds one game in hand. The Capitals are idle on Saturday before hosting Winnipeg on Sunday.
On Thursday, the Islanders won, 4-2, in Ottawa. The game was tied at 2-2 midway through the third period before the Isles pulled away with a go-ahead goal by Anthony Beauvillier (16th) and an empty netter from Casey Cizikas (19th). A pair of tallies in the first period by former Flyers center Valtteri Filppula (14th and 15th) sent the Isles to the first intermission with a 2-1 lead before Ottawa tied the game in the middle stanza. Thomas Greiss earned the win with 35 saves on 37 shots.
Islanders goaltender Robin Lehner, who had an abbreviated start against the Flyers last weekend, is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. He underwent concussion protocol. Christopher Gibson is on hand with the team to back up Greiss.
Crash-and-bang forward Matt Martin (upper body) is day-to-day but close to being cleared to play. Longtime Flyers nemesis Cal Clutterbuck is also day-to-day win an upper-body injury.
Projected Lines (Subject to change)
FLYERS
25 James van Riemsdyk - 19 Nolan Patrick - 28 Claude Giroux
23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Travis Konecny
44 Phil Varone -10 Corban Knight - 38 Ryan Hartman
9 Ivan Provorov - 6 Travis Sanheim
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 61 Phillipe Myers
8 Robert Hägg - 3 Radko Gudas
37 Brian Elliott
[33 Cam Talbot]
Scratches: 47 Andrew MacDonald (healthy), 5 Sam Morin (healthy), 72 Carter Hart (healthy), 30 Michal Neuvirth (IR, lower body).
ISLANDERS
27 Anders Lee - 29 Brock Nelson - 12 Josh Bailey
18 Anthony Beauvillier - 13 Mathew Barzal - 28 Michael Del Colle
14 Thomas Kuhnhackl -51 Valtteri Filppula - 7 Jordan Eberle
32 Ross Johnston - 53 Casey Cizikas - 47 Leo Komarov
2 Nick Leddy - 55 Johnny Boychuk
3 Adam Pelech - 6 Ryan Pulock
25 Devon Toews - 24 Scott Mayfield
1 Thomas Greiss
[33 Christopher Gibson]
Scratches: 4 Thomas Hickey (healthy), 15 Cal Clutterbuck (upper body, day-to-day), 16 Andrew Ladd (healthy), Matt Martin (upper body, questionable), 21 Luca Sbisa (healthy), 40 Robin Lehner (upper body), 44 Dennis Seidenberg (healthy).
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