Flyers return from All-Star break against new-look Islanders
After a refreshing break, it’s back to the grind for the Philadelphia Flyers. With less than a month until the trade deadline, this is the time of year where you find out a lot about a team. It’s extremely unlikely that this team can put it together to make a run, but we can learn exactly who they are during these next few weeks.
John Tortorella clearly has done his work to begin changing the culture of a team that badly needed it. They are a hardworking and relentless team to play against. And they’ll need to keep that mentality moving forward. The challenges are still to come and they aren’t quite where they need to be yet.
But the players have certainly answered the bell and come together both on and off the ice. That will be much needed as the rest of the season plays out.
Philadelphia Flyers
Record: 21-21-9 (51 points, 7th in Metro)
It has been slightly over a week since the Flyers shutout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. It was Carter Hart stopped all 40 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. Noah Cates, Owen Tippett and Rasmus Ristolainen each had two points in the victory.
Kieffer Bellows also scored his first goal in a Flyers uniform. He expects to get plenty of playing time moving forward as Zack MacEwen recently had surgery on his fractured jaw. This will be the time for Bellows to prove that he has an NHL future. If he can produce during this stint, it will go a long way in determine whether or not he belongs.
After having so much time off, the way the Flyers start this game will be important. Both teams have had the same amount of rest so there won’t be any excuses about being tired. There could be some potential lineup changes in the works for the Flyers, so we’ll see what the team ends up drawing up against the Islanders.
Projected Lineup
van Riemsdyk – Cates – Konecny
Hayes – Laughton – Tippett
Farabee – Frost – Allison
Deslauriers – Brown – Bellows
Provorov – York
Sanheim – DeAngelo
Seeler – Ristolainen
Hart
New York Islanders
Record: 25-22-5 (55 points, 6th in Metro)
The Islanders, in a similar boat as the Flyers, are coming off their own eight day break. Their last game featured a 2-1 overtime victory against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee each scored as Semyon Varlamov made 45 saves in the victory. But these Islanders will look a bit different than they did in that game. And certainly a lot different than the last time the Flyers faced them.
Acquiring the hottest trade target, Bo Horvat will be making his Islanders debut. He was acquired a few days before the All-star Game and was recently signed to an eight-year deal by New York. In return, Anthony Beauvillier and Aatu Raty were sent to the Vancouver Canucks.
Currently towards the bottom of the Metro standings, this is a move to help bolster the Islanders for a playoff push. They sit just two points out of a wild card spot with plenty of time to make said push. They’ll hope the acquisition of Horvat will help them in doing so.
Projected Lineup
Bailey – Horvat – Barzal
Lee – Nelson – Palmieri
Parise – Pageau – Holmstrom
Martin – Cizikas – Fasching
Pelech – Pulock
Romanov – Mayfield
Aho – Dobson
Varlamov
Where, When, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7 PM
Where: Wells Fargo Center
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 FM
Live Stream: FuboTV
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