Game 28 Preview: MacDonald debuts, Flyers get another chance at Islanders

Kevin Durso

December 8 2015

A strong two weeks for the Flyers came to a crashing halt on Saturday when they suffered their first loss in four games to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, getting outplayed in every aspect of the game.

The team that last handed the Flyers a loss before that awaits next on the schedule. The Flyers get a red-hot New York Islanders team that has won five of their last seven, including a 3-1 win over the Flyers on Nov. 25, and has points in all seven of those contests.

The opening face-off from Wells Fargo Center is set for 7 p.m.

Flyers Leaders	GP	G	A	P	Islanders Leaders	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	27	9	13	22	John Tavares	25	12	10	22
Jake Voracek	27	1	14	15	Kyle Okposo	28	6	15	21
Wayne Simmonds	27	7	8	15	Frans Nielsen	28	9	10	19
Brayden Schenn	25	6	5	11	Brock Nelson	28	8	7	15
Shayne Gostisbehere	11	4	4	8	Josh Bailey	27	6	7	13

Player to Watch
93 Jake Voracek	91 John Tavares
Last 5 Games: 0 G, 3 A, 3 P, E	Last 5 Games: 2 G, 0 A, 2 P, -6

Jake Voracek spent Monday's practice back on the top line with Claude Giroux and Michael Raffl, but will likely start the game with his regular linemates from the last few weeks, Chris VandeVelde and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The line just hasn't been able to find the rhythm to be able to produce, and if Monday's practice is any indication, a potential change could be coming, perhaps even during Tuesday's game. Voracek should be worth watching on Tuesday.

The Islanders success of late has them rolling, but one player looking to certainly do better is John Tavares. In his last five games, he has two goals and is a minus-6. Those aren't numbers you would imagine for the captain and leading scorer of the team over a seven-game points streak for the team. Tavares is due to break his slump, and could be primed to do so on Tuesday.

Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason	41 Jaroslav Halak
5-8-4, 2.81 GAA, .909 SV%	7-4-3, 2.00 GAA, .924 SV%

It was a rough night all around for the Flyers on Saturday, and though Steve Mason was ultimately helpless on three of the four Columbus goals, he would probably like another chance to get the Flyers back to the win column. He gets another start on Tuesday, facing the Islanders, who he made 35 saves against on Nov. 25.

Jaroslav Halak stopped 17 of 18 Flyers shots on Nov. 25 in a win. He will be between the pipes again for the Islanders.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Mark Streit, Sam Gagner, Radko Gudas, Vincent Lecavalier, Luke Schenn

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
12 Michael Raffl	28 Claude Giroux	10 Brayden Schenn
24 Matt Read	14 Sean Couturier	17 Wayne Simmonds
76 Chris VandeVelde	78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare	93 Jake Voracek
20 R.J. Umberger	21 Scott Laughton	25 Ryan White
Defense
15 Michael Del Zotto	47 Andrew MacDonald
82 Evgeny Medvedev	55 Nick Schultz
23 Brandon Manning	53 Shayne Gostisbehere
Goalie
35 Steve Mason

The most notable entry to the lineup is Andrew MacDonald, who takes Luke Schenn's spot while Schenn recovers from injury. MacDonald was paired with Michael Del Zotto at practice on Monday. For now, the offensive lines remain the same, but as mentioned, Voracek could be close to returning to the top line.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-23rd, 24th at home), Islanders (12th, 22nd on road)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th, 18th at home), Islanders (4th, 7th on road)
The Flyers suffered a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on Nov. 25. Casey Cizikis and Kyle Okposo scored for the Islanders, erasing Claude Giroux's early power-play goal. Frans Nielsen iced the game with an empty-net goal. Jaroslav Halak made 17 saves on 18 shots in the win. Steve Mason made 35 saves on 37 shots in the loss.
Flyers leaders vs. Islanders

Claude Giroux – 34 games, 12 goals, 26 assists, 38 points
Matt Read – 19 games, 10 goals, 5 assists, 15 points
Jake Voracek – 24 games, 4 goals, 14 assists, 18 points
Steve Mason - 11 games, 5-2-3, 2.23 GAA, .933 SV%

Milestone Watch: Wayne Simmonds needs one assist to reach 100 as a Flyer and one point to reach 300 for his career. Brayden Schenn is playing in his 300th NHL game tonight.