3 Keys: Islanders vs. Flyers, Game 7 of Eastern Second Round

No. 6 Islanders vs. No. 1 Flyers
7:30 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVAS
Best-of-7 series tied, 3-3

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders will decide who advances to the Eastern Conference Final when they play Game 7 of their second-round series at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday.
The winner will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the conference final.
Philadelphia won Game 5 in overtime Tuesday and Game 6 in double-overtime Thursday and is trying to win a series for the second time after being down 3-1. It came back from 3-0 to eliminate the Boston Bruins in seven games in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
"We're exactly in the same situation we were in prior to Game 5 and prior to Game 6," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. "If we don't win our season is over."
New York is trying to reach the conference final for the first time since 1993. It defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Patrick Division Final to get there. The Islanders are 0-2 in Game 7s since, losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and the Washington Capitals in the 2015 Eastern Conference First Round.
"When that puck drops you'll see a lot of urgency in our game," Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. "There's no tomorrow. We're going to have to bring our best. Sometimes when you're in that situation it brings out the best in you. We're really confident in our team for tonight's game."
Teams that have won Games 5 and 6 after trailing a best-of-7 series 3-1 are 29-30, including 0-2 this season.
Here are 3 keys for Game 7:

1. Who's in goal for the Islanders?

Semyon Varlamov has started 14 of New York's 15 games this postseason, and has a 2.00 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and two shutouts.
But he allowed nine goals on 63 shots in losing Games 5 and 6.
Thomas Greiss has played twice against the Flyers, making 20 saves on 21 shots in relief of Varlamov in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2, and 36 saves in a 3-2 win in Game 4, when he started.
Coach Barry Trotz did not name a starter for Game 7, but the players have confidence regardless of who plays.
"Every player really believes in both our goalies," Pageau said. "They're both really good, been really good all season. In the playoffs they both did an awesome job. Whoever is in the net we know is going to do the job, but we have to do the job in front of them too."

2. Will Sean Couturier be available?

Couturier was unfit to play in Game 6 for the Flyers. Their top-line center had missed the third period and overtime of Game 5 after a collision with Islanders forward Mathew Barzal with 2:34 left in the second period.
Vigneault did not discuss his lineup for Game 7, leaving Couturier's status in question. If he is unavailable, it could mean a second straight game in the lineup for forward Oskar Lindblom, who returned in Game 6 two months after completing treatment for Ewing's sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Lindblom had three shot attempts in 17:30 of ice time in his first game since Dec. 7. The Flyers announced his diagnosis Dec. 13.

3. Calming the Game 7 nerves

"I would say if you're not a little bit nervous you're not normal," Vigneault said. "It is normal with Game 7, with what's at stake, with what's on the line, to be nervous, to be anxious, to have those butterflies."
Experience helps and each team has some.
Vigneault is 5-2 in Game 7s, including a win against the Capitals in 2015, when they were coached by Trotz. It will be the eighth Game 7 for Philadelphia defenseman Matt Niskanen, and the sixth for defenseman Justin Braun and forward Nate Thompson.
Trotz is 2-2 in Game 7s. It will be the eighth Game 7 for New York forward Derick Brassard. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who hasn't played in the series, has played in eight Game 7s.

Islanders projected lineup

Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Josh Bailey
Derick Brassard -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Leo Komarov
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Devon Toews -- Scott Mayfield
Nick Leddy -- Andy Greene
Thomas Greiss
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched: Michael Dal Colle, Ross Johnston, Otto Koivula, Tom Kuhnhackl, Andrew Ladd, Sebastian Aho, Johnny Boychuk, Noah Dobson, Thomas Hickey, Christopher Gibson
Unfit to play: None

Flyers projected lineup

Scott Laughton -- Claude Giroux -- Jakub Voracek
James van Riemsdyk -- Kevin Hayes -- Travis Konecny
Oskar Lindblom -- Derek Grant -- Tyler Pitlick
Michael Raffl -- Nate Thompson -- Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Ivan Provorov -- Matt Niskanen
Travis Sanheim -- Philippe Myers
Robert Hagg -- Justin Braun
Carter Hart
Brian Elliott
Scratched: Andy Andreoff, Connor Bunnaman, Morgan Frost, Mark Friedman, Shayne Gostisbehere, Andy Welinski, Egor Zamula, Alex Lyon, Kirill Ustimenko
Unfit to play: Sean Couturier, Joel Farabee