Flyers at Islanders: Preview, Best Bets, and Player Spotlight

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Flyers' Carter Hart
Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) stops a Detroit Red Wings center Joe Veleno shot in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The Philadelphia Flyers visit the New York Islanders tonight, closing out a four-game road trip. On the road, the Flyers are 0-3-0, hoping to play the spoiler to the Islanders’ wildcard hunt. It’ll be the fourth and final matchup of the season series.

Leading the season series, 2-1-0, the Islanders won the recent matchup on February 6th, 2-1.

Philadelphia begins its final back-to-back of 2022-2023. Tomorrow, they’ll host the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center.

New York Islanders (40-30-9)

The New York Islanders own the second wildcard spot, falling from the first. They’re tied with the Florida Panthers, but the Panthers own the tiebreaker by winning the season series, 2-1-0. Now the Pittsburgh Penguins are one point out of the second wildcard spot. The Islanders seemed like a lock for a wildcard spot in the second half of the season, but now they’re scrapping for every possible point. Two nights ago, the Islanders defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in commanding fashion, 6-1.

Bo Horvat (38G, 29A) hasn’t produced as expected since the Islanders traded Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Raty, and a conditional 2023 first-round pick for him on January 30th. Horvat scored in the rout versus the Lightning but needs to become more consistent before the season finishes. Since his debut with the Islanders, Horvat tallied thirteen points (7G, 6A) in 27 games. A first-line center, the Islanders need Horvat to spark the lineup to keep the Penguins off their heels. Earlier this season against the Philadelphia Flyers, Horvat had four quality chances on net and blocked two shots.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the New York Islanders:

Lee-Horvat-Holmstrom
Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri
Parise-Pageau-Fasching
Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock
Aho-Mayfield
Bolduc-Dobson

Sorokin
(Varlamov)

Philadelphia Flyers (29-36-13)

Following a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers will keep Tony DeAngelo out of the lineup. He, conspicuous by his absence, hasn’t been in the lineup since Rocky Thompson made these comments:

“Quite frankly, it looks like some guys in here don’t even care. They’re just not trying. I’m not going to call anybody out individually, but your teammates know, and you know, and I’ll give everybody another chance. If you’re going to do it, I’ll keep playing you. If you’re not, I’m not going to play you.”

Rocky Thompson; 4/4/2023

Ronnie Attard is back with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Justin Braun will fit on the bottom defensive pair. John Tortorella will stick to a 12F/6D lineup.

Kevin Hayes (18G, 36A) scored against the Stars, representing the lone goal for the Flyers. It was his first goal since an overtime loss to the Nashville Predators on February 11th, where he also scored the only goal for Philadelphia. Hayes’ ice time took a hit while the coaching staff shifted their focus to provide more opportunities for younger players to develop in different roles. It is uncertain if Hayes will return next season; he is a big trade piece entering the offseason. He’ll have to keep improving his shot selection; Hayes had two quality scoring chances recently versus the New York Islanders in addition to a hit on Alexander Romanov.

Flyers' Kevin Hayes
Philadelphia Flyers’ Kevin Hayes (13), Owen Tippett (74), and Noah Cates (49) celebrate after Hayes scored in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Carter Hart (21-22-10, 2.92GAA, 90.8%SV) will make his 200th NHL start. He saved 26/30 shots on goal in Dallas, his first game back after resting from a minor lower-body injury. In his career against the Islanders, Hart possesses a 4-4-3 record with a 2.9GAA and 89.5%SV in eleven games.

Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers:

Hayes-Cates-Tippett
Farabee-Frost-Konecny
van Riemsdyk-Laughton-Allison
Deslauriers-Laczynski-Lemieux

Provorov-Ristolainen
Sanheim-York
Seeler-Braun

Hart
(Sandstrom)

Place Your Bets

Philadelphia Flyers moneyline (+230)
New York Islanders moneyline (-275)
Bo Horvat anytime goalscorer (+115)
Kevin Hayes under .5pts (-155)

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Game Information

You can watch the Philadelphia Flyers visit the New York Islanders on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The radio broadcast will be available on 97.5 The Fanatic and Flyers Radio 24/7. The puck drops at 7:30pm from the UBS Arena.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)