Game Preview: Islanders vs Flyers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (32-16-6) VS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (31-18-7)
7 PM | BARCLAYS CENTER | BUY TICKETS
ULTIMATE BEER PACKAGE
WATCH: NBCSN
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
Fresh off picking up a 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Monday night, the New York Islanders get right back to work as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at Barclays Center.

The Islanders opened up a 5-1 lead on the Capitals midway through the second period and weathered Washington's strong second half push. The win banked a pair of crucial points against one of the top teams in the NHL and also flushed the sour taste of giving up a third period lead to the Caps back on Jan. 18.
Like the Islanders, the Flyers are also playing the second half of a back-to-back set on Tuesday night and it's a vital game for both teams. The Islanders (70 points) are one point ahead of the Flyers (69 points) in an ultra-tight Metropolitan Division/Eastern Conference playoff race. The Isles will look to push a division rival down the ladder and try to put some padding between them.
"Tomorrow is a playoff team, a team that is chasing us," Head Coach Barry Trotz told MSG after Monday's win. "We just need to make sure that we get some points tomorrow night, plain and simple."

AFTERNOON UPDATES:

• Trotz said it was possible the Islanders would make one change at forward, but did not elaborate.
  - Brian Elliott will start in goal for the Flyers. Elliott is 3-0-2 in his last five road games.
  - Joel Farabee will draw into the Flyers' lineup, replacing Morgan Frost.
  Flyers Lines:
  Giroux-Couturier-Voracek
  Farabee-Hayes-Konecny
  van Riemsdyk-Laughton-Pitlick
  Raffl-Bunnaman-Aube-Kubel
  Provorov-Niskanen
  Sanheim-Myers
  Hagg-Braun
  Elliott
  

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Anthony Beauvillier scored a pair of goals on Monday night to extend his point streak to six games, with eight points (5G, 3A) over that span. The six-game point streak is the longest of Beauvillier's career and he has 13 points (7G, 6A) in his last 10 games. Beauvillier's 36 points this season tie his career-high, set during the 2017-18 season.
  - Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson each recorded three assists in Monday's contest. For Bailey, Monday marked the second time in six games he'd recorded a three-point game. For Nelson, his three-point night upped his season total to 45 points (21G, 24A), moving him into a tie with Mathew Barzal atop the team's leaderboard.
  MORE COVERAGE
  WRITTEN COVERAGE
  Notes: NYI 5, WSH 3
  Prospect Report: Feb. 10, 2020
  DTD: Wilde Reassigned to Saginaw
  MORE INFORMATION

ISLES TV
Recap: NYI 5, WSH 3
- Semyon Varlamov is expected to start on Tuesday, as Thomas Greiss played the first night of the back-to-back set. Varlamov is 1-4-0 in his last five starts, but is 1-1-0 since coming back from the All-Star break, stopping 55-of-60 shots (.916 SV%) over that span.
- Tuesday night wraps up a string of four straight home games at Barclays Center for the Islanders. The Isles are 6-0-3 at Barclays Center this season and haven't lost a regulation game in Brooklyn since Jan. 29, 2019. The Islanders next home game in Brooklyn will be on March 3 vs Montreal.
- Ross Johnston drew into the lineup on Monday night for the first time since Jan. 21, replacing Kieffer Bellows. Bellows had played three straight games since entering the lineup.
- Leo Komarov scored the eventual game-winning goal on Monday night, as he put the Islanders up 4-1 to start the second period. Komarov's tally was his second of the season and snapped an eight-game goalless drought in the process.

FLYERS NOTES:

• The Flyers enter Tuesday's game on a two-game winning streak, as they beat the Washington Capitals 7-2 on Saturday night and topped the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Monday night. The Flyers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, as they occupy the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
  - Carter Hart returned to the Flyers crease after missing nine games with an abdominal muscle strain. Hart made 30 saves on 31 shots in his return to action. Hart is 16-11-3 this season with a 2.55 GAA, a .908 SV% and one shutout.
  - Sean Couturier leads the Flyers with 49 points (15G, 34A) in 56 games this season. Couturier also leads the team in assists.
  - Travis Konecny leads the Flyers with 18 goals. The 22-year-old Konecny has 46 points (18G, 28A) in 52 games, and his 0.88 point-per-game pace is by far the best of his four-year career. Konecny is three points shy of matching his career-high (49 points) set last season.
  - The Flyers boast eight players with 10-or-more goals.
  - The Flyers blue line has scored 37 goals this season, which is second-most in the NHL after the New York Rangers (39). Philly has already surpassed their goals from defensemen from all of last season.

Video: Islanders rally for shootout win against Flyers

ISLANDERS VS FLYERS:

The Islanders are 2-0-0 against the Flyers this season, picking up a 5-3 win at Nassau Coliseum on Oct. 27 and a 4-3 shootout win in Philadelphia on Nov. 16. The Islanders rallied out of a 3-0 hole in the third period of the most recent meeting between the clubs.