The Islanders are in the city of "brotherly love" tonight with a critical matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. New York trails the Flyers by three points for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
This is a critical game for the Isles in a place they don't win and against a team that they just can't seem to beat consistently. If this team is going to be taken seriously it HAS to start winning on the road and it has to start winning within the Metro division. Two things that are not happening enough.
Thomas Griess will be in net and the lineup will remain the same. New York really needs to tighten up defensively as they have given up 15 goals in their past three games. The D zone coverage has to improve and they simply cannot have average goaltending.
The Flyers can score with the best of them but they also can't keep the puck out of their own net as they come into tonight's matchup sporting a minus 20 goal differential. Shockingly the Isles goal differential has gotten back to zero and considering how bad they were for a large part of the season that is surprising.
Tonight's game will be on NBCSN so prepare for the typical lazy narrative. Let's guess which will come up first. Playing in Brooklyn. Commuting to Brooklyn. The Barclays Ice. Returning to the coliseum or John Tavares leaving after next season. I'm sure we will get a nice mashup of all topics.
The Isles playoff push has already started as they have no margin for error. You have to beat the teams you trail and tonight will be the prefect opportunity to do such that. It will be a telling sign if the Isles can come up with two points against a team that hardly ever beat in city that shows them no hospitality.