Flyers-Islanders: Game 55 Preview

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 

As the Flyers' homestand continues, they find themselves in a weird spot. Their offense is about as barren as it gets — having scored just six goals over their last five games — yet somehow occupy the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot by a single point. 

They welcome the New York Islanders to town for some division play. Not only do the Islanders sit three points behind them in the Metro Division, they're hot with points in nine of their last 10 games. Not exactly an easy task when your offensive output over the last several games reads like Dean Vernon Wormer announcing the Delta House's midterm grades in Animal House.
 
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 

 
Player to Watch
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 12 Josh Bailey
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, E Last 5 Games: 4 G, 3 A, 7 P, +1
 
He's back. Shayne Gostisbehere makes his return to the ice, after a controversial three-game scratching. He'll surely look to make an impact and spark the offense in his return to Wells Fargo Center ice, and continue to make people wonder why he was scratched in the first place.
 
Keep an eye on Josh Bailey for tonight's game. Suiting up on the Islanders' top line, Bailey brings a three-game goal scoring streak to Wells Fargo Center, and netted multi-point efforts in his last two games. While teams focus their efforts on shutting John Tavares down, Bailey has proven that he can be a steady supplementary threat.
 
Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason

1 Thomas Greiss

16-16-6, 2.90 GAA, .900 SV% 16-8-3, 2.44 GAA, .921 SV%

Steve Mason returns between the pipes for the Orange and Black for the first time in the month of February. His outing against Carolina, where he allowed five goals on 28 shots on Jan. 31, is far behind him and the team at this point.

Thomas Greiss, who unexpectedly emerged as the Isles' No. 1 this season, figures to return in their crease. Despite allowing five goals on 32 shots in their last matchup on Monday against Toronto, Greiss and the Islanders skated away with a wacky 6-5 overtime win.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Nick Schultz, Michael Del Zotto, Travis Konecny

Left Wing Center Right Wing
12 Michael Raffl 28 Claude Giroux 93 Jakub Voracek
25 Nick Cousins 14 Sean Couturier 17 Wayne Simmonds
22 Dale Weise 10 Brayden Schenn 24 Matt Read
76 Chris VandeVelde 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Roman Lyubimov
Defense    
9 Ivan Provorov 47 Andrew MacDonald  
23 Brandon Manning 53 Shayne Gostisbehere  
32 Mark Streit 3 Radko Gudas  
Goalie    
35 Steve Mason    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (11th, 10th at home), Islanders (16th, 20th on the road)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (18th, 6th at home), Islanders (19th, 12th on the road) 
  • Milestone Watch:
    • Matt Read is four assists away from 100 in his career.
    • Mark Streit is five goals away from 100 in his career.
    • Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck is one goal away from 100.
    • Islanders' Nick Leddy is two points away from 200.
  • Recent History vs. the Islanders
    • Jan. 22, 2016 — After Nick Leddy and Alan Quine spotted the Islanders a 2-0 lead, the Flyers rallied. Wayne Simmonds struck before the second period could end, while Ivan Provorov tied the game just 1:47 into the third stanza. Claude Giroux potted the game-winner with 100 seconds on the clock in overtime.
    • Nov. 3, 2016 – Travis Konecny and John Tavares each traded goals in the second period, while Dennis Seidenberg put the Islanders ahead midway through the third, seemingly for good. Jakub Voracek tied the game with less than a minute left in regulation, and after a scoreless three-on-three period, the Orange and Black claimed victory in a shootout.

TV: TCN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR

Go to top button