Game Preview: Islanders at Flyers 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (31-27-15) AT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (36-29-10)

7 PM ET | WELLS FARGO CENTER

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

Monday’s matchup between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers could go a long way in determining the playoff prospects for two teams in the wild card hunt.

The Islanders (77 points) are five points back of the Flyers (82 points) for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.A regulation win over the Flyers would narrow the gap to three points and put the squeeze on Philadelphia, while a regulation loss would create a seven-point gulf with two-and-a-half weeks left in the season.

It’s a high-stakes game for a pair of teams who have struggled of late, with the Islanders entering the game 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, while the Flyers are 0-3-1 in their last four contests. The Isles fell 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, while Philadelphia dropped a 5-1 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Monday marks the third and final meeting of the season between the Isles and Flyers. The Isles are 1-0-1 against Philadelphia this season, most recently falling 1-0 in a shootout on Nov. 25.

This is the Isles’ only trip to Philly this season. They are 7-2-2 in their last 11 games at Wells Fargo Center.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

- Semyon Varlamov will start in goal for the Islanders, making a third straight start. Varlamov has not started three straight games since Mar. 29 – Apr. 1, 2022. He is 3-1-1 in his last five starts, AND is 5-1-1 with a 2.68 GAA and a .907 SV% against Philly since joining the Isles in 2019-20.

- JG Pageau (maintenance) was absent for Monday's morning skate, but is expected to play, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Pageau is expected to play on a line with Bo Horvat and Anders Lee.

- Samuel Ersson will start for the Flyers. Ersson is 21-16-7 on the season, but has played in 24 of Philadelphia’s 29 games since Jan. 21, going 9-11-4 over that span with a 3.26 GAA and an .876 SV%.

- Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale is expected to return to the lineup after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury.

ISLES NOTES:

- Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves on 39 shots in Saturday’s loss to Tampa and has started the first two games of the Islanders three-game trip. With a day off on Sunday, the Isles have not named a goalie for Monday’s tilt in Philly, but the team will likely split duties for the back-to-back set that ends with a home date against Chicago on Tuesday.

Varlamov has not started three consecutive games since Mar. 29 – Apr. 1, 2022. He is 3-1-1 in his last five starts, while Ilya Sorokin has lost six-straight games.

Both Isles goalies have fared well against the Flyers of late. Varlamov is 5-1-1 with a 2.68 GAA and a .907 SV% against Philly since joining the Isles in 2019-20. Sorokin is 9-2-2 with a 1.50 GAA, a .949 SV% and three shutouts lifetime against the Flyers.

- Head Coach Patrick Roy juggled his line combos on Saturday, with Bo Horvat shifting to the wing on a line with JG Pageau and Anders Lee. Mathew Barzal centered a line with Hudson Fasching and Casey Cizikas. Pierre Engvall was reunited with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.

Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock were paired together midway through the game, as were Alex Romanov and Noah Dobson.

The Islanders were off on Sunday, so more lineup information will be available after morning skate.

- Kyle Palmieri scored the lone goal on Saturday, netting his 24th goal of the season. Palmieri last hit the 25-goal mark in 2019-20. Palmieri has hit the 25-goal mark four times in his career.

- Mathew Barzal has 27 points (9G, 18A) in 28 career games against the Flyers.

FLYERS NOTES:

- Travis Konecny leads the team with 31 goals and 64 points. Konecny’s 64 points are a new-career high (previously 61) while his 31 goals are tied for a career-high, set last season. Konecny has a team-high – and career-high – five shorthanded goals this season. He has six points (4G, 2A) in his last six games.

- There’s intrigue in the Flyers crease, as goaltender Ivan Fedotov has arrived in Philadelphia, two years after signing his entry-level contract in May 2022. There’s a lot more to the story here, as Fedotov intended to come to North America, but wound up having to complete a year of military service. After completing his military obligations, he signed a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow in the KHL.

After one year with CSKA, where he posted a 21-22-1 record, 2.37 goals against average, .914 save percentage and four shutouts, CSKA terminated Fedotov’s contract allowing him to join the Flyers. In total, Fedotov played parts of seven seasons in the KHL (2014-15, 2017-22, 2013-24) and went 79-68-8 with a 2.18 GAA, a .923 SV% and 12 shutouts in 164 career games. 

The 6-foot-7 netminder, who was originally selected by the Flyers in the 7th round (188th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, backed up Samuel Ersson on Saturday night. Ersson, a rookie, has assumed the bulk of the workload with Carter Hart on an indefinitely leave from the team. Ersson has played in 24 of Philadelphia’s 29 games since Jan. 21, going 9-11-4 over that span with a 3.26 GAA and an .876 SV%. 

- Owen Tippett has matched his career-high in both goals (27) and points (49), both set last season in Philly. He’s heating up of late with 27 points (15G, 12A) in his last 32 games.

- Rookie Tyson Foerster has hit the 20-goal mark this season, which is tied for second in rookie goals in the NHL. Foerster was the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 Draft and spent last season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Foerster has three goals in his last five games.

- Defenseman Jamie Drysdale has missed 16 games with an upper-body injury. Drysdale was acquired from Anaheim for Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8. Drysdale had four points (2G, 2A) in 17 games with the Flyers since the trade.

- The Flyers average the third-most shots per game in the league at 33.2.

- The Flyers own the third-ranked penalty kill at 83.6%. Philadelphia’s 15 shorthanded goals lead the league.