Game Preview: Islanders vs. Flyers

New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Isles Looking To Bounce Back:

The Islanders are looking to rebound after a 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
With a day to reflect, Jack Capuano said his team was fine at even strength, but special teams were the difference, with the Lightning netting two power-play goals, a shorthanded goal and generating a lot of momentum off an early major penalty. He said one of the keys on Thursday will be staying out of the box.
"Five-on-five we were fine," Capuano said. "We only gave up limited chances and 14 or 15 shots, but at the end of the day we have to stay out of the box. They just built momentum and had 21 shots on their power play."

Barzal Has Strep Throat:

Capuano releaved that Mathew Barzal has strep throat. Barzal hasn't played since Oct. 26 against Montreal and was an extra skater on Casey Cizikas' line on Wednesday.

Flyers Big Three:

The Flyers are getting steady production from Claude Giroux (2G, 11A), Wayne Simmonds (6G, 6A) and Jakub Voracek (6G, 5A) to start the season.
Giroux and Simmonds both bring lengthy point streaks into Thursday's action. Giroux is on a 10-game point streak (2G, 11A), while Simmonds has points in five straight (2G, 5A) and in nine of his last 10 games.
Voracek, who scored the OT-winner against the Red Wings, is poised for a bounce-back year offensively. After scoring 20 goals in three straight seasons, Voracek's total dropped to 11 last season, but with six goals in 11 games to start this season, the Flyers' winger is well on his way to surpassing the down year.

Defense Scoring on Both Sides:

Video: TBL@NYI: Seidenberg nets one-timer from the point
Dennis Seidenberg scored the Islanders lone goal on Monday night, marking the sixth straight game with a goal by an Isles defenseman. The Islanders blue line has a league-leading 10 goals this season to lead, a stat the Flyers d corps led last year. Led by Mark Streit (3G, 5A) and Shayne Gostisbehere (2G, 5A), the Flyers blueliners have nine goals to start the season.
Behind Streit and Gostisbehere, the Flyers boast Brandon Manning (2G, 5A) and rookie Ivan Provorov (5A), giving them lots of offensive options on the back end. The Islanders will have to be aware of the Flyers' four-man attack.