Game Preview: Islanders vs Flyers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (19-7-4) VS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (14-10-3)
7PM | NASSAU COLISEUM
WATCH: MSG+2 | MSG GO | NHL.TV
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM
The New York Islanders open up a three-game set against the Philadelphia Flyers as they host the Flyers on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum. The game will be the third meeting of the season between the Islanders and Flyers, who last met on Jan. 30 and 31, where Philadelphia won both meetings in overtime.
Since the overtime losses in Philladelphia, the Islanders are 16-3-2.

The Islanders enter Thursday's game after having their nine-game winning streak and 12-game point streak (11-0-1) snapped on Tuesday night in their 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals. Oliver Wahlstrom scored the Islanders sole goal of the game on the power play while Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves on 22 shots.
The loss to the Capitals bumped the Islanders out of first place in the East Division. Both teams have 42 points, but the Capitals have played one fewer game, giving them the tiebreaker.
The Flyers take on the Islanders in their second leg of their back-to-back set between New York's crosstown rivals. The Flyers dropped a 9-0 decision to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, with seven goals coming in the second period. Brian Elliott started the game and made eight stops on 13 shots before he was replaced in net by Carter Hart. Hart played the remainder of the game - for 32:30 - and made 12 saves on 16 shots.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The loss was the Islanders first regulation loss since Feb. 20. While the Islanders had their nine-game winning streak and 12-game point streak (11-0-1) snapped on Tuesday, they still remain the only team in the NHL to have not suffered a loss on home ice (12-0-2) and could preserve that with a win over Philadelphia on Thursday.
ISLANDERS VS FLYERS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
5 Takeaways: Isles Nine-Game Winning Streak Snapped with 3-1 Loss
5 Takeaways: Lamoriello on Lee Injury
Varlamov and Sorokin Solidifying Islanders Net
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame
Pulock Pregame
Cizikas Pregame
GAME EXTRAS
Buy Fan Cutouts
Fan Cutout Gallery
Hockey With a Heart
• Wahlstrom's unassisted power-play goal was the rookie winger's six tally of the season and second on the power play. Through 23 games, the 20-year-old has compiled 11 points (6G, 5A).
• Varlamov's record dropped to 13-5-3 with the loss and snapped his individual four-game win streak between the pipes.
• The Islanders' special teams went 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. The Islanders power play is ranked 16th overall (20.5%) while their penalty kill is ranked 13th overall (80.8%) in the NHL.
• Mathew Barzal took one penalty - which led to Alexander Ovechkin's game-winning goal - and leads the Islanders in PIMS with 32. Barzal only logged 14:25 TOI on Tuesday night marking his lowest TOI since March 21, 2019 in Montreal.
• Jean-Gabriel Pageau rejoined the lineup after having to miss one game due to being added to the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol list on Sunday.
• While Pageau rejoined the lineup, Noah Dobson missed his second-straight game. The sophomore blueliner was named to the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol list on Sunday and was still on the list on Tuesday. In his place, Sebastian Aho played in his second-straight game alongside d-partner Andy Greene.
• Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello announced on Wednesday morning that Islanders captain Anders Lee will undergo surgery for an ACL repair this week and will be out for the rest of the season. Lee sustained the injury on March 11 in a collision with New Jersey forward Pavel Zacha. Prior to being sidelined, the 30-year-old winger led the team with his 12 goals. Through 27 games, Lee had totaled 19 points (12G, 17A).
• The Islanders' 2.20 goals against average is the second best in the NHL behind Vegas (2.15). The Islanders also relinquish the third fewest shots against average in the NHL with a nightly average of 27.3 shots.

FLYERS NOTES:

• The loss was Philadelphia's first shutout loss of the season and decreased their record to 14-10-3.
• Elliott made his 11th start of the season, while his record dropped to 7-4-0. The veteran netminder has a 2.64 GAA and a .904 SV%.
• Hart replaced Elliott between the pipes. The 22-year-old goaltender has a 7-6-3 record through 16 starts this season, a 3.62 GAA and a .884 SV%.
• The Flyers special teams went 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill. In the NHL, Philadelphia's power play is ranked 15th overall (20.7%) while their penalty kill is ranked 26th (74.1%).
• Sean Couturier had a five-game point streak (six assists) snapped with the loss. The center has totaled 19 points (6G, 13A) through 16 games this season.
• James van Riemsdyk leads the Flyers in scoring with his 29 points (13G, 16A) through 27 games. The winger had scored goals in back-to-back games prior to Wednesday's loss.
• The Flyers average the ninth-most goals for in the NHL with a nightly average of 3.22. On the flip side, Philadelphia averages the second-most goals against with a nightly average of 3.48.
• Philadelphia averages the ranked fourth from the bottom in the league in shots for per game with a nightly average of 28 shots.
• The Flyers are one of the best teams in the NHL at the faceoff circle. The team is ranked third overall in FOW% at 53.6%. Philadelphia's captain Claude Giroux leads the team with a 61.8 FOW%.