Game Preview: Islanders at Flyers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (42-25-7) AT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (36-30-8)
1 PM | WELLS FARGO CENTER
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Video: Morning Skate Update 3/23: Barry Trotz

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders enter the matchup after a 4-0 loss to Montreal on Thursday. The Islanders have surrendered nine unanswered goals in their past two games (including a 5-0 loss to Boston on Tuesday) and have been shutout in consecutive games for the first time in eight seasons.
  - Thomas Greiss made 18 saves and played 28:19 in Thursday's loss, as he was pulled after Montreal scored its fourth goal, Greiss was relieved by Robin Lehner, who made 12 saves throughout his 31:41 time on ice.
  - Tanner Frtiz was recalled from Bridgeport on Wednesday and was inserted as the third line center in place of an injured Valtteri Filppula. Filppula sustained an upper-body injury against Boston on Tuesday and will miss four weeks. Fritz played alongside Anthony Beauvillier and Leo Komarov.
  - Defenseman Scott Mayfield left for the locker room at the end of the third period and did not return after taking a hit up high from Andrew Shaw. Coach Barry Trotz did not have an update on Mayfield's status after the game.
  - The Islanders are 7-8-1 since Feb. 16. They have lost two straight and are 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
  - The Islanders (91 points) are now three points back of Metropolitan Division leading Washington Capitals (94 points). The Islanders are tied with the Penguins in points, but hold a game in hand over their division rivals.

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FLYERS NOTES:

• The Flyers picked up a 3-1 win over Chicago on Thursday night. After the Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead halfway through the first period, the Flyers responded with three straight goals, including two in the third period. Corban Knight evened the score 1-1, James Van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers the go-ahead goal and Sean Couturier sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
  - Knight scored his first goal as a Flyer since the 2015-16 season (Jan. 5, 2016).
  - Van Riemsdyk is riding a five-game point streak with six goals and seven points.
  - Couturier has a four-game point streak (3G, 4A) and nine points in his last 10 games (6G, 7A). Couturier is second on the Flyers leaderboard behind Claude Giroux. Couturier has 72 points on 31 goals and has tied his career-high for goals.
  - Rookie netminder Carter Hart made 40 saves in Thursday's win. The 20-year-old's 40-save performance marked the first time in 32 years that a rookie goaltender had three winning performances while making 40 saves or more and only allowed one goal or less in the process. The last goalie to do so was Boston's Bill Ranford in 1986-87.
  - The Flyers are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games.
  - The Flyers sit in sixth place of the Metropolitan Division with 80 points and are five points out of a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Carolina (87 points) and Montreal (85 points) currently occupy the two Wild Card spots, while Columbus (84 points) also stands between the Flyers and the playoffs.