|
Flyers Gameday: 4/3/2021 @ NYI; Phantoms vs. WB/S |
|
|
|
|
|
GAME 36: FLYERS @ ISLANDERS
Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers (17-13-4) are in Long Island on Saturday take on Barry Trotz's New York Islanders (23-10-4). Game time at the Nassau Coliseum is 7:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on NBCSP.
This is the sixth of eight meetings this season between the teams. The Flyers are 3-1-1 against New York to date this season, with three of the games going to overtime. The remaining games after this one in the season series will be played on April 8 in Uniondale and April 18 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Flyers Outlook
Beyond the team's 6-10-1 record in March, which sank them in the standings after the club entered the month with an 11-4-3 overall record and the top points percentage in the East Division, the month saw the Flyers set unwanted new franchise records for most goals allowed and highest team GAA.
The team had a complete day off on Thursday and a practice on Friday. With no games on the schedule for two nights, the team had it's first multi-night break from gamedays since Feb. 25 and 26.
Carter Hart is slated to get the start in goal for the Flyers; his first game action since March 25. Nolan Patrick will return to the lineup after being given the night off on Wednesday. Vigneault said it was because Patrick has gotten physically worn down; it was not a punitive scratching. Patrick skated right wing on Kevin Hayes' line at Friday's practice.
Ditto Oskar Lindblom, who Vigneault anticipates being back in the lineup as well. Assuming Lindblom plays, who is scratched? Travis Konecny split reps with Lindblom at left wing on a line centered by Claude Giroux with Jakub Voracek on right wing. This could mean Konecny is a healthy scratch for the second time this season. If Konecny is in the starting lineup, another player such as Nicolas Aube-Kubel could exit the lineup.
Rookie pro Tanner Laczynski, who has been on a tear in the AHL for the Phantoms including six goals in three games last week, is expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday. He centered the fourth line at Friday's practice.
Shayne Gostisbehere was back in the projected starting six at Friday's practice, skating alongside Samuel Morin on the third defense pair.
Islanders Outlook
New York has won six of its last 10 games, including two wins and one loss against the Flyers in that span. Amid the Flyers' struggles in March, they handed the Isles' their only regulation home loss of the season to date (14-1-2). New York's plus-26 goal differential this season was tied for sixth-best in the NHL heading into Friday's games around the league.
The Islanders enter this come coming off an 8-4 home win over the East Division leading Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Isles scored four times in the first period, twice in the second and twice more in the third.
Mathew Barzal led the way with a hat trick. His linemate, Jordan Eberle, tallied twice. Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey notched a goal apiece. Semyon Varlamov made 18 saves on 22 shots to earn the win in goal. Matt Martin gamely fought Zdeno Chara at the final buzzer.
Projected lineups
FLYERS
25 James van Riemsdyk- 14 Sean Couturier - 86 Joel Farabee
21 Scott Laughton - 13 Kevin Hayes - 19 Nolan Patrick
93 Jakub Voracek - 28 Claude Giroux - 11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 5 Phil Myers
55 Sam Morin - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
79 Carter Hart
[37 Brian Elliott]
PP1: Giroux, Patrick, Farabee, Voracek, Provorov.
PP2: Hayes, Couturier, JVR, Konecny, Gostisbehere.
Scratches: 56 Erik Gustafsson (healthy), 12 Michael Raffl (healthy).
Injured reserve: 8 Robert Hägg (shoulder, 2-4 weeks from 3/17/21), 48 Morgan Frost (shoulder surgery).
COVID-19 protocol: None.
ISLANDERS
7 Leo Komarov - 13 Mathew Barzal - 7 Jordan Eberle
18 Anthony Beauvillier - 29 Brock Nelson -12 Josh Bailey
32 Ross Johnston - 44 Jean-Gabriel Pageau - 26 Oliver Wahlstrom
17 Matt Martin - 53 Casey Cizikas - 15 Cal Clutterbuck
3 Adam Pelech - 6 Ryan Pulock
2 Nick Leddy - 24 Scott Mayfield
4 Andy Greene - 8 Noah Dobson
40 Semyon Varlamov
30 Ilya Sorokin
PP 1: Beauvillier, Barzal, Martin, Eberle, Leddy
PP 2: Pageau, Nelson, Wahlstrom, Bailey, Pulock
Scratches: 11 Austin Czarnik (healthy), 25 Sebastian Aho (healthy), 35 Cory Schneider (healthy).
Injured Reserve: 27 Anders Lee (ACL surgery), 28 Michael Dal Colle (lower body).
COVID-19 Protocol: None.
********
Game 18: Phantoms vs. WB/S Penguins
Scott Gordon's Lehigh Valley Phantoms (11-3-2, one suspended game) return to action on Saturday evening, hosting J.D. Forrest's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (6-7-4) at the PPL Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
The Phantoms are 1-1-1 against the Pens thus far in 2020-21, losing 4-2 in Wilkes-Barre on Feb. 27 and 5-4 in overtime in Allentown the next day. On March 8, the Phantoms captured a 4-3 overtime home win on a Ryan Fitzgerald game-winner in 3-on-3 sudden death.
Lehigh Valley enters this game coming off a convincing 4-1 home win over the Hershey Bears in a nationally televised game on Wednesday. Rookie winger Tyson Foerster led the way with two goals and two assists. Derrick Pouliot and Fitzgerald (ENG) also scored for the Phantoms, while Zane McIntyre was strong in net when called upon.
On Thursday, the Flyers recalled the red-hot Tanner Laczynski and winger Linus Sandin from the Phantoms to join the NHL Taxi Squad. Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski, who had been on the Taxi Squad throughout the season (with Bunnaman dressing in 18 NHL games for the Flyers this season and Twarynski appearing in four), were both assigned to Lehigh Valley.
Rookie winger Wade Allison has tallied seven points (3g, 4a) across his first six AHL games. Max Willman, who recently signed a two-way NHL contract with the Flyers that kicks in next season, leads the Phantoms overall with 13 points (7g, 6a) in 15 games. Fitzgerald has 13 points in 17 games played. Rookie winger Zayde Wisdom (7g, 4a in 17 games) lost a would-be power play goal in the Hershey game on Wednesday due to a too-hasty whistle on a never-covered puck at the doorstep of the net.
On the injury front, the Phantoms have recently been without rookie defensemen Egor Zamula (lower body) as well as forward David Kase.
On Wednesday, the Flyers signed 2019 first-round pick Cam York to an entry-level contract. His slated to join the Phantoms first before potentially being called up to the NHL before the end of the season. He will likely make his Lehigh Valley debut some time next week.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»