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Game 6 Preview: Islanders vs. Flyers

September 3, 2020, 3:56 PM ET [744 Comments]
Ben Shelley
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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The New York Islanders will have another opportunity to close out their series against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, as the teams face off in Game 6.



The Islanders were outplayed for the majority of the game on Tuesday and only really came alive in the third period, once they were down by two goals. Despite the loss, they were at least the better team in the third period and overtime.

The major question heading into the game for New York is whether or not Mathew Barzal will be in the lineup tonight. He left the game in the third period on Tuesday, after taking a stick to the face and will be a game time decision. The Flyers have some uncertainty in their forward group as well, however, as Sean Couturier’s status for Game 6 is unknown.

If Barzal is out, I’m worried as to how it may affect the Islanders’ lineup. There’s a good chance the second line could be split up in order for Brock Nelson to take over duties on the team’s first line, which wouldn’t be ideal, based on how well the second line has been performing in the postseason. I’d probably prefer to see Jean-Gabriel Pageau slide up to the first line, the second line staying the same, then using Derick Brassard as the team’s third-line center, with Ross Johnston and Leo Komarov on the wings. For now though, let’s hope Barzal is good to go and we don’t need to worry about that.

As for who’s in net, I think we’ll likely see Semyon Varlamov once again but as I’ve said before, I don’t think the Islanders can really go wrong with either goalie.


Puck drop is at 7 p.m.


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