Yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers (36-29-10) had the day off. A reset after being outscored by the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks, 9-2, was the aim.
“For this game, we tried to just by giving them yesterday off. Sometimes it’s not the physical rest, it’s the mental rest to get away from it. That’s what we tried to do yesterday. Not to divulge any information, but we had a meeting this morning regarding that type of situation; how we can be as fresh as we can be as we go through the next couple of weeks. I want input from them, so it’s kind of a collaboration.”
John Tortorella; 4/1/2024
A mental reset could loosen the Flyers, who seemed to be gripping the stick, snakebitten as of late. Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett are the only forwards to account for a goal in the last two games. During the dreaded gauntlet against the best of the NHL Eastern Conference, Philadelphia averaged 3.1GF over seven games.
This season, the Flyers are 1-1-0 versus the New York Islanders (31-27-15) in two closely contested battles, including a 1-0 shutout win after Foerster scored in a shootout back in November.
New York Islanders
Five points behind Philadelphia in the NHL Wildcard hunt, the Islanders need every point to make an honest push for the eighth seed in the NHL Eastern Conference. Patrick Roy isn’t changing how New York approaches every game remaining in their season:
“Every game is a big game when you’re chasing a playoff spot. You’re approaching every game the same way. You don’t try to change things; you just do the same things and focus on the same. We didn’t change from Florida [Panthers] to Tampa [Lightning] or tonight, but tonight we understand that it’s a four-point game because we’re both battling for a playoff spot. They [Philadelphia Flyers] have [the] upper hand on us right now, but we’re right behind them. We have games in hand, and we know what [those] games mean to us.”
Patrick Roy; 4/1/2024
Noah Dobson had a minimal impact against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He joined the rush but didn’t generate offense. When the Flyers visited the UBS Arena in November, Dobson turned the puck over twice but blocked a few shots in the defensive zone. Noah Cates helped mitigate any damage Dobson could do by checking along the boards. In two games against Philadelphia, Dobson hasn’t accumulated a point.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the New York Islanders, per Andrew Gross:
Lee-Pageau-Horvat
Engvall-Nelson-Palmieri
Cizikas-Barzal-Fasching
Martin-Maclean-Clutterbuck
Romanov-Dobson
Pelech-Pulock
Reilly-Bortuzzo
Varlamov
(Sorokin)
Philadelphia Flyers
Jamie Drysdale returns to pair with Nick Seeler, who rejoined the lineup versus the Blackhawks. Suddenly, the defense is healthy again. John Tortorella cited that his return will alleviate some pressure off Cam York and Travis Sanheim.
“It helps. We’re going to take Yorkie [York] off the powerplay to try to cut down some of his minutes and let Jamie [Drysdale] run it. I think it’s more of an experienced four. Johnny [Johnson] will be in there; he’s an experienced guy, but he’ll probably be in the third pair with Z [Zamula].”
John Tortorella; 4/1/2024
Travis Konecny has averaged a point per game over his last five. He has to keep his high motor running, and finding the back of the net is huge for boosting the Flyers’ scoring. Konecny hasn’t recorded a point versus the Islanders this season, similar to Dobson against Philadelphia. Here’s to better fortune against Semyon Varlamov.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, per Charlie O’Connor:
Foerster-Couturier-Konecny
Tippett-Frost-Atkinson
Farabee-Laughton-Deslauriers
Cates-Poehling-Hathaway
York-Sanheim
Seeler-Drysdale
Zamula-Johnson
Ersson
(Fedotov)
Place Your Bets (via Draft Kings Sportsbook)
New York Islanders (-250)
Philadelphia Flyers (+205)
Noah Dobson under .5pt (-140)
Travis Konecny anytime goal (+150)
Game Information
Watch the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Islanders on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Listen to the radio broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic. The puck drops at 7pm.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
