Game Preview: Islanders at Flyers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-4-1) AT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (4-6-0)
1 P.M. | WELLS FARGO CENTER
WATCH: MSG+, MSG GO, SN, NHL.TV
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GAME NOTES
Barry Trotz reckons himself a bit of an old school hockey guy and two things he likes are hostile barns and matinee starts. He's going to get both when the New York Islanders take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m., MSG+, SN).
"I love the 1 o clock afternoon games, I like the atmosphere in Philly," Trotz said. "It's not friendly, just as the Coliseum is not friendly. You get hit with objects, you get people yelling at you. If you're not emotionally involved you're probably sleeping or you're dead, one of those two. It's a great environment, they've got a great team and it's a division game."

Saturday's tilt is the first of a three-game Metropolitan Division road trip for the Islanders, who head to Carolina on Sunday and Pittsburgh on Tuesday. These are important games for the Islanders who haven't played a divisional opponent since beating the Hurricanes in their season opener.
"For us it'll be a huge game. We have a big road trip here," Eberle said. "It's early in the season but we have to come out of this trip with some positive points and climb our way up the standings."
The Islanders are looking to snap a two-game winless streak (0-1-1).

ISLANDERS NOTES:

-- Robin Lehner is expected to start on Saturday afternoon with Thomas Greiss starting Sunday in Carolina. Lehner is 2-2-1 this season with a 2.67 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and a shutout.
-- Anthony Beauvillier practiced on a line with Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle at Friday's practice. That was an effective trio for the Islanders last season and could be reunited for the first time this season.
Read more at Isles Day-to-Day.
-- The Isles are 4-2-2-in their last eight regular season games against the Flyers.
-- Former Flyer Valtteri Filppula is making his first return to Philadelphia on Saturday. Filppula played 101 games for the Flyers over the past two seasons.

FLYERS NOTES:

-- The Flyers have lost two straight games and were shut out 3-0 by Boston on Thursday night.
-- Michal Neuvirth will start in goal for the Flyers. Neuvirth is making his season debut.
-- Jakub Voracek leads the Flyers with nine assists and 12 points.
-- Wayne Simmonds leads the Flyers with six goals.
-- Mikhail Vorobyev is expected to return to the Flyers lineup after missing four straight games.

ISLANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: JORDAN EBERLE

Jordan Eberle scored his first goal of the season on Wednesday, one-timing a feed from Mathew Barzal. Eberle has been reunited with Barzal for the past three games and is looking to re-ignite his scoring touch after posting 25 goals and 59 points last season. Eberle went 10 games without a goal to start last year, but finished the season with 25, so look for Eberle to heat up now that he's got number one.

FLYERS PLAYER TO WATCH: JAKUB VORACEK

Jakub Voracek leads the Flyers with nine assists and 12 points to start the season. Voracek is one of the NHL's top playmakers, racking up the third-most assists (218) since the start of the 2014-15 season. Voracek looks to be building off a career-high 85 points last season. He has 29 points (5G, 24A) in 36 career games vs the Islanders.