PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. ISLANDERS
With three games remaining on their 2014-15 schedule, Craig Berube's Philadelphia Flyers (32-29-18) host Jack Capuano's New York Islanders (46-27-6). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Metropolitan Division teams, and the second game in Philadelphia. The Flyers are 0-1-2 in the season series to date. On Nov. 24 in Uniondale, the Isles and Flyers played to a scoreless tie through 65 minutes before the Islanders prevailed in a shootout. On Jan. 19 in Uniondale, the Islanders scored early and often en route to a 7-4 blowout. The teams met again on Feb. 5 in Philadelphia, with the Islanders winning 3-2 via shootout.
The Flyers are playing for the third time within four nights. The team took Monday off after playing back-to-back weekend matinees against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh and at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The season will conclude with home games against the Hurricanes on Thursday evening and the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon.
The playoff-bound Islanders have had two nights off since hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night. The regular season will conclude with a road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday evening and a home match against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening.
Flyers outlook
The Flyers are coming off a 4-1 win over the Penguins on Saturday. With the win, the Flyers improved their home record this season to 22-9-7.
Steve Mason turned back 46 of 47 shots to earn the win, while the Flyers power play went 3-for-4. Jakub Voracek (power play goal, assist), Brayden Schenn (power play goal, assist), Ryan White (even strength goal) and Michael Del Zotto (power play goal) tallied for the Flyers. With the win, Mason raised his overall season save percentage to .929 and lowered his goals against average to 2.19 on the season, and even up his won-loss record at 17-17-11. On home ice, he has a 15-5-5 record, 1.89 GAA, and .941 save percentage.
Brayden Schenn, who has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last three games, was named the NHL's second star of the week. He has reached a new career high in points (45) but is still three goals short of his total from last year.
The Flyers will be without Wayne Simmonds (left leg fracture), Andrew MacDonald (right hand fracture), Luke Schenn (abdominal tear), R.J. Umberger (hip and abdominal surgery) and trade deadline acquisition Radko Gudas (knee surgery) for the rest of the season.
Islanders outlook
Currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division, the Islanders are one point behind the Washington Capitals with one game in hand. The Islanders will be playing for the home ice advantage over their remaining games. Officially, the Isles still need one point to lock up a playoff spot.
The Islanders are 2-0-1 in their last three games after snapping a three-game winless stretch. The team enters this game coming off a 3-0 win over the Sabres on Saturday. Kyle Okposo opened the scoring with a first-period power play goal. The one-goal lead held until midway through the third period when Brock Nelson and Nikolay Kulemin added insurance goals. Jaroslav Halak earned a 21-save shutout.
The Isles, who struggled mightily to beat the Flyers for many years until recently, have never swept a season series against the Flyers. They will try to accomplish that feat on Tuesday.
New York has a mostly healthy lineup. Mikhail Grabovski remains out with an upper-body injury but has made the trip to Philadelphia and participated in practice on Monday.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.60 (T-20th), Islanders 2.96 (4th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.70 (T-18th), Islanders 2.71 (T-21st) Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 1.01 (18th), Islanders 1.08 (T-10th) Power play efficiency: Flyers 23.7% (3rd), Islanders 19.0% (9th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 76.9% (29th), Islanders 78.1% (26th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 51.2% (13th), Islanders 49.3% (17th)
Projected lineups (Subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek 24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Brayden Schenn 25 Ryan White - 52 Nick Cousins - 36 Zac Rinaldo 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare- 40 Vincent Lecavalier
15 Michael Del Zotto - 55 Nick Schultz 8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit 26 Carlo Colaiacovo - 43 Brandon Manning
35 Steve Mason [29 Ray Emery]
Scratches: Luke Schenn (lower body), Wayne Simmonds (left leg fracture), Andrew MacDonald (right hand fracture), R.J. Umberger (hip/abdominal surgery), Radko Gudas (IR, knee surgery).
ISLANDERS
86 Nikolay Kulemin – 91 John Tavares – 18 Ryan Strome 12 Josh Bailey – 51 Frans Nielsen – 21 Kyle Okposo 27 Anders Lee – 29 Brock Nelson – 15 Cal Clutterbuck 36 Eric Boulton – 53 Casey Cizikas – 17 Matt Martin
2 Nick Leddy – 55 Johnny Boychuk 37 Brian Strait – 3 Travis Hamonic 14 Thomas Hickey – 11 Lubomir Visnovsky
41 Jaroslav Halak [30 Michal Neuvirth]
Scratches: Mikhail Grabovski (IR, upper body), Calvin de Haan (healthy), Matt Donovan (healthy), Tyler Kennedy (healthy), Colin McDonald (healthy).