Flyers-Islanders: Game 29 Preview

The Flyers came out as a more determined team on Thursday and opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period. In a matter of minutes, that lead was gone.

Despite that, the Flyers did get the outcome they needed, as a late goal propelled them to victory. That was a step in the right direction, but it has to continue. They will face the Islanders again on Saturday night, closing out a four-game road trip.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	New York Islanders	GP	G	A	P
James van Riemsdyk	28	13	16	29	Mathew Barzal	31	9	15	24
Joel Farabee	27	12	12	24	Nick Leddy	31	1	20	21
Claude Giroux	26	7	16	23	Anders Lee	27	12	7	19
Jake Voracek	25	5	17	22	Jordan Eberle	31	9	10	19
Kevin Hayes	28	9	12	21	Brock Nelson	31	12	5	17

Travis Konecny was moved to a line with Claude Giroux and Oskar Lindblom last game and had a dominant night, picking up three assists, including helpers on the first two goals and the game-winning goal. It's been an up-and-down season for Konecny in terms of production, but perhaps that game will help get him going.

Oliver Wahlstrom came into the league as a prospect that certainly has scoring ability. He's shown it lately, with goals in three of his last four games and seven goals on the season. That falls in line sixth on the team behind many of the established veterans, and with Anders Lee out of the lineup, his scoring could certainly help fill the void.

Carter Hart was excellent through two periods on Thursday, then gave up three goals in a short span that tied the game. He still got the win, but he continues to work through some issues with positioning. He gets another chance on Saturday night.

Ilya Sorokin has not had much work this season, appearing in just nine games so far out of 31 for the Islanders, but he'll get another chance in goal here. Sorokin was in net for a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers on Jan. 31.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Robert Hagg (injured), Michael Raffl (healthy), Shayne Gostisbehere (healthy)

Islanders Scratches: Anders Lee (injured), Noah Dobson (COVID protocol), Ross Johnston (healthy), Leo Komarov (healthy), Sebastian Aho (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: The Flyers are not making any changes to the lineup from their last game.
Islanders: Barry Trotz hinted that some lineup changes could be possible, notably bringing Thomas Hickey into the lineup, but don't expect many changes.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-17th), Islanders (16th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (24th), Islanders (10th)
Recent History vs. Islanders
- Jan. 30, 2021 - Flyers 3, Islanders 2 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Jan. 31, 2021 - Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- March 18, 2021 - Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (at NYI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Islanders
- Claude Giroux - 55 GP, 19 G, 41 A, 60 P
- James van Riemsdyk - 40 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 P
- Joel Farabee - 6 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
- Jake Voracek - 45 GP, 8 G, 27 A, 35 P
- Carter Hart - 4 GP, 2-2-0, 4.00 GAA, .869 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs one goal to pass Simon Gagne for ninth all-time in Flyers history.
- Claude Giroux needs two power-play goals to pass Eric Lindros for eight all-time in Flyers history.