Flyers vs Islanders, Game 76: Notes, Lineups, And How To Watch

After dropping back-to-back winnable games, the margin for error has become even slimmer. As the Islanders come to town, this is a must-win game for the Flyers.

With the Flyers' loss to the Blackhawks and the Capitals gaining a point against Boston, they jumped Philadelphia in the standings. Detroit is only two points back of the second wild-card spot. Tonight's game has major playoff implications. The Wings will face the Lightning with a chance to jump the Flyers if they cannot beat the Islanders. Detroit will have one fewer game played so they will have the tiebreaker.

The two teams haven't faced each other since late November. The Islanders took a 3-2 victory on Nov. 22 thanks to a two-goal outing from Brock Nelson. The Flyers got revenge three days later in a game that featured no goals in regulation or overtime. It was a 1-0 shootout victory for Philadelphia. They don't want to allow the Islanders to get a point in this one.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers will get another reinforcement back in the form of Jamie Drysdale. He returns to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 25. Drysdale has only appeared in 17 games with the Flyers, but should give them a boost upon his return. It's the healthiest the Flyers' defense has been in quite some time. Only Rasmus Ristolainen remains out on the backend.

This could've been a chance for the debut of Ivan Fedotov after Sam Ersson has looked fatigued. The Flyers will ride their number-one goaltender, though. If the team can play better in front of him than they have lately, it will go a long way. Ersson faced a similar issue with the Phantoms at the end of last season. The team was fighting to make the playoffs and by the time they were in, it was clear Ersson was gassed. The Flyers cannot afford to let that happen. Fedotov should make his debut during this weekend's back-to-back.

After dropping four straight, John Tortorella decided to mix up his forward lines. Sean Couturier returns to the top line with Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster, two players who could help Couturier regain his offense. Couturier is also back on the power play as well. Cam Atkinson, who entered the lineup against the Hawks, is up with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost. The latter two have had tremendous chemistry together. Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway remain together but will be centered by Noah Cates. And Nic Deslauriers rejoins the lineup once more.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Tyson Foerster - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Cam Atkinson

Noah Cates - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway

Nic Deslauriers - Scott Laughton - Joel Farabee

Cam York - Travis Sanheim

Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale

Egor Zamula - Erik Johnson

Sam Ersson

New York Islanders

Even though the Islanders have entered the playoff conversation, they have struggled to do so. Aside from the Rangers and Hurricanes, the rest of the Metropolitan has been a mess. The Islanders have two wins in their last 10 game. They are five points back of the Flyers and Capitals. This race could come down to the final game of the season.

The Islanders will need everything to go their way to find themselves in the postseason. They will need more from everyone in the lineup. Bo Horvat, in his first full season with the Islanders, is one goal away from his third consecutive 30-goal season. He had a career-high 38 between the Canucks and Isles last year. Mathew Barzal earned his new high in goals (23) and leads the team with 74 points. Noah Dobson has had a solid year, crushing a career-high in points (66).

The Islanders have ridden Ilya Sorokin this far, as he has appeared in 52 of the team's 73 games. But he will get another night off as Semyon Varlamov will get his third straight start. He has appeared in 23 games this season but has just nine wins. He's posted a 2.83 GAA and a respectable .912 SV%. Varlamov has won three of his last five starts, though. The Islanders will need him to come up large.

Islanders Projected Lineup

Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Bo Horvat

Pierre Engvall - Brock Nelson - Kyle Palmieri

Casey Cizikas - Mathew Barzal - Hudson Fasching

Matt Martin - Kyle MacLean - Cal Clutterbuck

Alexander Romanov - Noah Dobson

Adam Pelech - Ryan Pulock

Mike Reilly - Robert Bortuzzo

Semyon Varlamov

When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen

Time:  7:00 PM

Where: Wells Fargo Center

Watch: NBCSP

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Live Stream: FuboTV

FuboTV has live NHL games on ESPN in which you can stream from your phone, television, and all your favorite devices. This is a service that broadcasts live TV over the internet, no cable required. Watch your favorite teams, network shows, news, and movies on 100+ channels. Plus
on-demand entertainment including full TV series.