The Philadelphia Flyers (18-21-7) take on the first place New York Islanders (30-14-1) on Long Island for what has become the annual Martin Luther King Day matinee game. This is the final game for the Flyers at the Nassau Coliseum. Game time is 1:00.
This is the second of four meetings between the two teams and the final matchup ever in Long Island. The Islanders defeated the Flyers 1-0 in a shootout back in November. Steve Mason was incredible in that game stopping 46 New York shots.
The Flyers will look to build on their 4-3 victory against Buffalo on Saturday. In that game, four different players scored goals for Philadelphia. Rob Zepp picked up his third win in four starts in goal.
It is do or die time for Philadelphia. The Flyers are seven points out of the final playoff spot in the East. If the team has any hopes of making the postseason, it needs to find ways win.
Jakub Voracek continues to lead the Flyers and the NHL in scoring. His 53 points are one ahead of Dallas forward Tyler Seguin. Claude Giroux is fifth in the league with 49 points. These two players cannot do it alone.
Giroux and Voracek have combined for 102 points. Mark Streit, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier (three through six in team scoring) have a total of only 108 points. The teams inability to provide Giroux and Voracek with secondary scoring consistently will end up being the team's downfall.
The New York Islanders started fast and have not let up. Their 61 points is good for second in the Eastern Conference and fourth overall.
New York is led by captain John Tavares. Tavares has 44 points so far this season on 20 goals and 22 assists. Kyle Okposo is second on the team with 43 points and leads the team with 29 assists.
Late offseason additions Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy have helped to solidify the defense. Jaroslav Halak has been stellar as well.
If Halak can hold up, the Islanders are a team that can make a lot noise in the postseason. They have a good mix of youth and veteran leadership, can score goals in bunches and play well in their own end.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (6th, 11th on road), Islanders (14th, 8th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (30th, 29th on road), Islanders (28th, 29th at home)
- This is the final meeting between the two teams in the Nassau Coliseum. The teams will meet twice more in Philly on February 5th and again on April 7th.
Flyers scratches: Nicklas Grossmann, Braydon Coburn, Scott Laughton, Steve Mason
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Jake Voracek
Line 2: R.J. Umberger-Brayden Schenn-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Zac Rinaldo-Sean Couturier-Matt Read
Line 4:Chris VandeVelde–Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Vincent Lecavalier
D-Pair 1: Andrew MacDonald-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Michael Del Zotto -Nick Schultz
D-Pair 3:Carlo Colaiacavo-Luke Schenn
Goalie: Rob Zepp
Where to Watch
TV: TCN Philly
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Bill Minchin is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074
