Flyers-Islanders: Game 28 Preview

Kevin Durso

March 18 2021

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

Wednesday night's game between the Flyers and Rangers let the score do the talking. The 9-0 drubbing to the Flyers has brought this season to a crossroads, right as it hits the official halfway point.

The Flyers face a must-win situation, as their season just gets uglier by the game. Their challenge on Thursday, one night after being handed their worst road loss in franchise history, is another game on the road against the New York Islanders, a team tied at the top of the division.

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	27	13	16	29	Mathew Barzal	30	9	15	24
Joel Farabee	26	12	12	24	Anders Lee	27	12	7	19
Claude Giroux	25	6	15	21	Jordan Eberle	30	9	10	19
Jake Voracek	24	4	17	21	Nick Leddy	30	1	17	18
Kevin Hayes	27	9	11	20	Brock Nelson	30	12	5	17

Every player on the team needs to be better. They will have to look to the group at the top to do that. Sean Couturier had been pretty dominant before that game, even as the rest of the team had gone through struggles.

Even without their captain, Mathew Barzal has the potential to take over a game at any point. Barzal hasn't scored a goal in six games, so perhaps this is the night he can get back in the goal column.

Brian Elliott got the hook early in Wednesday's game, and while he's been used a lot lately, the fact that the Flyers had to play Carter Hart in the first game of a back-to-back as well may lend to the selection for tonight's netminder.

Semyon Varlamov had a four-game winning streak of his own snapped in the loss to Washington on Tuesday. He's been solid all season though, and success that doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Robert Hagg (injured), Andy Andreoff (healthy), Connor Bunnaman (healthy), Nate Prosser (healthy)

Islanders Scratches: Anders Lee (injured), Noah Dobson (COVID protocol), Austin Czarnik (healthy), Ross Johnston (healthy), Leo Komarov (healthy), Cory Schneider (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No morning skate for the Flyers, so official changes won't be known until later, but expect all three of Shayne Gostisbehere, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Oskar Lindblom back in the lineup.
Islanders: The big absence for the Islanders is captain Anders Lee, who is out for the remainder of the season. Noah Dobson also remained on the COVID list on Wednesday.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-17th), Islanders (16th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (25th), Islanders (12th)
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)
Flyers Leaders vs. Islanders
- Claude Giroux – 54 GP, 18 G, 40 A, 58 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 39 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 P
- Joel Farabee – 5 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
- Jake Voracek – 44 GP, 7 G, 27 A, 34 P
- Brian Elliott – 20 GP, 9-2-7, 2.65 GAA, .912 SV%