Round 2, Game 2 Preview: Flyers-Islanders

If the Flyers learned anything in Game 1, it's just how hard this series against the Islanders will be. The Islanders were the tougher team. They were the more efficient team. They were simply the better team.

The Flyers have to play from behind in a series for the first time, trying to find a way to even things up in Game 2 on Wednesday afternoon.

Game 2 is set for 3 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	New York Islanders	GP	G	A	P
Jake Voracek	9	4	4	8	Josh Bailey	10	2	8	10
Kevin Hayes	10	1	6	7	Anthony Beauvillier	10	6	3r	9
Scott Laughton	10	3	2	5	Mathew Barzal	10	3	5	8
Sean Couturier	10	0	5	5	Brock Nelson	10	3	5	8
Michael Raffl	6	3	1	4	Jean-Gabriel Pageau	10	5	2	7

Player to Watch
11 Travis Konecny	18 Anthony Beauvillier
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, E	Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, +4

The Flyers need their top players to really get going, and they should look to their spark plug in Travis Konecny to be a huge part of this game. Konecny doesn't have a goal and has just one assist since the first round started, and has started to show frustration with his inability to get on the board. The Flyers leading scorer in the regular season needs it to translate to the playoffs in a hurry.

The Islanders didn't get production from their top six until the third period and even then Anthony Beauvillier, the team's hottest scorer in the playoffs, was held off the board. Beauvillier is always dangerous, and certainly will be in position to strike in Game 2.

Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart	40 Semyon Varlamov
8 GP, 6-2-0, 1.71 GAA, .943 SV%	9 GP, 7-2-0, 1.67 GAA, .934 SV%

Carter Hart was on the hook for the loss in Game 1 and allowed three goals, but it wasn't a result that was on him. Hart was outstanding in the opening period, making several crucial stops to keep the game close into the third period. Hart gets the call in net again, looking to help the Flyers even the series.

Game 1 marked back-to-back shutout wins for Semyon Varlamov, and the Islanders have been rolling with him in net. Varlamov will likely get the start in goal for Game 2, given his recent numbers as the Islanders look to take command of the series, but don't be surprised if Thomas Greiss gets the start in goal in either Game 2 or Game 3.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
28 Claude Giroux	14 Sean Couturier	93 Jake Voracek
49 Joel Farabee	13 Kevin Hayes	11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk	21 Scott Laughton	62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
12 Michael Raffl	38 Derek Grant	18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov	15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim	5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hagg	61 Justin Braun
Goalie
79 Carter Hart	37 Brian Elliott

Islanders Projected Lineup

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
27 Anders Lee	13 Mathew Barzal	7 Jordan Eberle
18 Anthony Beauvillier	29 Brock Nelson	12 Josh Bailey
10 Derick Brassard	44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau	47 Leo Komarov
17 Matt Martin	53 Casey Cizikas	15 Cal Clutterbuck
Defense
3 Adam Pelech	6 Ryan Pulock
25 Devon Toews	24 Scott Mayfield
2 Nick Leddy	4 Andy Greene
Goalie
40 Semyon Varlamov	1 Thomas Greiss

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Nicolas Aube-Kubel returned for Game 1 and will likely be back in the lineup for Game 2. Look for the Flyers to make a few changes. James van Riemsdyk could come back into the lineup and so could Robert Hagg on the blue line.
Islanders: The Islanders got great results from all four lines and all three defensive pairings in Game 1. There probably won't be any changes coming, but the Islanders may try to insert some new faces into the lineup to keep guys fresh for Game 3 on Thursday.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (22nd), Islanders (T-14th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (14th), Islanders (20th)
Recent History vs. Islanders
- Oct. 27, 2019 - Islanders 5, Flyers 3 (at NYI)
- Nov. 16, 2019 - Islanders 4, Flyers 3 (F/SO) (at PHI)
- Feb. 11, 2020 - Islanders 5, Flyers 3 (at NYI)
- Aug. 24, 2020 (Game 1) - Islanders 4, Flyers 0
Flyers Leaders vs. Islanders (Career Regular Season Stats)
- Claude Giroux - 52 GP, 18 G, 38 A, 56 P
- Jake Voracek - 42 GP, 6 G, 27 A, 33 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 37 GP, 11 G, 17 A, 28 P
- Sean Couturier - 37 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 28 P
- Matt Niskanen - 38 GP, 4 G, 14 A, 18 P
- Carter Hart - 2 GP, 0-2-0, 6.23 GAA, .833 SV%