By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
The Flyers came out as a more determined team on Thursday and opened up a 3-0 lead in the second period. In a matter of minutes, that lead was gone.
Despite that, the Flyers did get the outcome they needed, as a late goal propelled them to victory. That was a step in the right direction, but it has to continue. They will face the Islanders again on Saturday night, closing out a four-game road trip.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | New York Islanders | GP | G | A | P |
James van Riemsdyk | 28 | 13 | 16 | 29 | Mathew Barzal | 31 | 9 | 15 | 24 |
Joel Farabee | 27 | 12 | 12 | 24 | Nick Leddy | 31 | 1 | 20 | 21 |
Claude Giroux | 26 | 7 | 16 | 23 | Anders Lee | 27 | 12 | 7 | 19 |
Jake Voracek | 25 | 5 | 17 | 22 | Jordan Eberle | 31 | 9 | 10 | 19 |
Kevin Hayes | 28 | 9 | 12 | 21 | Brock Nelson | 31 | 12 | 5 | 17 |
Carter Hart was excellent through two periods on Thursday, then gave up three goals in a short span that tied the game. He still got the win, but he continues to work through some issues with positioning. He gets another chance on Saturday night.
Ilya Sorokin has not had much work this season, appearing in just nine games so far out of 31 for the Islanders, but he'll get another chance in goal here. Sorokin was in net for a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers on Jan. 31.
Projected Lineups
Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Robert Hagg (injured), Michael Raffl (healthy), Shayne Gostisbehere (healthy)
Islanders Scratches: Anders Lee (injured), Noah Dobson (COVID protocol), Ross Johnston (healthy), Leo Komarov (healthy), Sebastian Aho (healthy)
Lineup Notes
- Flyers: The Flyers are not making any changes to the lineup from their last game.
- Islanders: Barry Trotz hinted that some lineup changes could be possible, notably bringing Thomas Hickey into the lineup, but don't expect many changes.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-17th), Islanders (16th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (24th), Islanders (10th)
- Recent History vs. Islanders
- Jan. 30, 2021 – Flyers 3, Islanders 2 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- Jan. 31, 2021 – Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (F/OT) (at PHI)
- March 18, 2021 – Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (at NYI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Islanders
- Claude Giroux – 55 GP, 19 G, 41 A, 60 P
- James van Riemsdyk – 40 GP, 11 G, 22 A, 33 P
- Joel Farabee – 6 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 4 P
- Jake Voracek – 45 GP, 8 G, 27 A, 35 P
- Carter Hart – 4 GP, 2-2-0, 4.00 GAA, .869 SV%
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs one goal to pass Simon Gagne for ninth all-time in Flyers history.
- Claude Giroux needs two power-play goals to pass Eric Lindros for eight all-time in Flyers history.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR