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Flyers Gameday: 1/22/17 @ NYI |
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MINI-PREVIEW: FLYERS @ ISLANDERS
Playing the second game of a weekend back-to-back set, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (22-19-6) are in Brooklyn on Sunday evening to take on interim head coach Doug Weight's New York Islanders (19-17-8) at Barclays Center. Game time is 6 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the second of four meetings this season between the Metropolitan Division teams, and the final one in Brooklyn. On Nov. 3, the Flyers skated off with a bonus point from a 3-2 shootout road win.
Flyers Outlook
In the 15 matches following their 10-game winning streak, the Flyers have posted a dismal record of 3-9-3. The goals have stopped coming with any consistency and the team defense and goaltending have been dreadful. For the season, the Flyers are 8-12-3 on the road and drag a nine-game winless (0-7-2) streak on the road into Sunday's match.
On Saturday, the Flyers dropped a 4-1 home decision to the New Jersey Devils. Lapses of discipline, one leaky goal on a 5-on-3 and a penalty killing breakdown on another Devils power play, a bad line change that led to a late second period breakaway goal and an 0-for-6 night on the power play combined to ruin what had been a decent Philadelphia performance until late in the second period.
Travis Konecny scored the lone Flyers' goal, shortly after the expiration of a Flyers' power play. The second unit, featuring a new look with Sean Couturier as the net-front forward and Konecny roving off the left half boards, looked better than the top unit in Saturday's game.
Michal Neuvirth took the loss, stopping 22 of 25 shots before being removed for "precautionary reasons" after two periods, according to Flyers general manager Ron Hextall. Steve Mason mopped up in the third period, stopping three of four shots. He was hung out to try on a Devils power play goal.
Islanders Outlook
The underachieving Islanders are mired in last place in the Eastern Conference. However, they sit just five points out from the wild card position and, just as important, have only played 44 games to date. New York is playing its third game in four nights, and is the second half of a back-to-back.
New York has won its last three games -- two under Weight -- by a combined score of 11-2. Star center John Taveres has been red hot of late. Over his last five games, he has racked up nine points (eight goals, one assists) and has three goals and an assist over the last two games.
The Islanders enter this game coming off a 4-2 home win against the LA Kings on Saturday. Thomas Greiss will get the start in goal against the Flyers. Cal Clutterbuck and Johnny Boychuk, both nursing upper-body injures, are expected to return to the lineup against Philly. Andrew Ladd remains out of the lineup but is close to being ready to play.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
Flyers (Saturday's starting lines, will be updated)
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
11 Travis Konecny - 10-Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
25 Nick Cousins - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 P-E Bellemare - 13 Roman Lyubimov
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald
32 Mark Streit - 3 Radko Gudas
23 Brandon Manning - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
35 Steve Mason
[30 Michal Neuvirth]
Scratches: Nick Schultz (healthy), Michael Del Zotto (healthy), Dale Weise (healthy).
ISLANDERS (Saturday's lines; Boychuk and Clutterbuck returns expected)
27 Anders Lee - 91 John Tavares - 12 Josh Bailey
29 Brock Nelson - 18 Ryan Strome - 24 Stephen Gionta
72 Anthony Beauvillier - 10 Alan Quine- 25 Jason Chimera
11 Shane Prince - 53 Casey Cizikas - 86 Nikolay Kulemin
2 Nick Leddy - 50 Adam Pelech
14 Thomas Hickey - 42 Scott Mayfield
44 Calvin de Haan - 4 Dennis Seidenberg
1 Thomas Greiss
[Jean-Francois Berube]
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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