Flyers-Islanders: Game 30 Preview

Kevin Durso

March 22 2021

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

Two days and one game after coming out and playing a strong 50 minutes that nearly slipped away, the Flyers didn't have a stretch of good minutes at all on Saturday night. Another game was wasted in their pursuit of a playoff spot, in an effort to turn around a March that has dropped them hard in the standings.

One more game remains with the Islanders on a three-game stretch, as things return home for the start of a four-game homestand. Time is of the essence for the Flyers and if a turnaround is going to happen, it needs to happen immediately.

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	29	13	16	29	Mathew Barzal	32	9	16	25
Joel Farabee	28	13	12	25	Nick Leddy	32	1	20	21
Claude Giroux	27	7	16	23	Jordan Eberle	32	10	10	20
Jake Voracek	26	5	17	22	Anders Lee	27	12	7	19
Kevin Hayes	29	9	12	21	Brock Nelson	32	12	6	18

Kevin Hayes is going through an offensive slump with just one point in his last five games. More importantly than that, his defensive work needs to be on point, especially if Sean Couturier is not able to play.

Jordan Eberle tends to score in bunches, so getting his first goal in nine games on Saturday may jump-start him offensive. In that time without a goal, he did have five assists.

Brian Elliott gets the start on Monday night, his first since allowing five goals on the way to a 9-0 loss against the Rangers last Wednesday. That game could hardly be placed on Elliott alone, but he has struggled lately as the workload increased. He's had a couple of games off now, so the Flyers hope he's poised to return to the form he had earlier in the season.

Ilya Sorokin had a solid game on Saturday, making 23 saves against the Flyers in a win. He's now won seven straight starts since dropping a decision to the Flyers in overtime on Jan. 31 and starting his career with an 0-2-1 record. While Barry Trotz didn't officially confirm a goalie, he did say that it would be "virtually the same lineup" as Saturday, so assume Sorokin is in.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Robert Hagg (injured), Carter Hart (healthy), Nate Prosser (healthy), Carsen Twarynski (healthy)

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

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere returns to the Flyers lineup for Nate Prosser. Sean Couturier missed last game as a late scratch. He got an MRI on Sunday, but it appears he will play on Monday, pending the morning skate and pre-game warmups. In the event Couturier does not play, Carsen Twarynski would be in the lineup. Carter Hart will also sit out Monday's game as the backup in preparation for a start on Tuesday night.
Islanders: As Trotz mentioned, virtually the same lineup from Saturday will be on the ice for Monday's game.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-20th), Islanders (15th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th), 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)
- March 20, 2021 – Islanders 6, Flyers 1 (at NYI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Islanders
- Claude Giroux – 56 GP, 19 G, 41 A, 60 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 41 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 P
- Joel Farabee – 7 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 5 P
- Jake Voracek – 46 GP, 8 G, 27 A, 35 P
- Brian Elliott – 20 GP, 9-2-7, 2.65 GAA, .912 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.