Danny Briere has 12 goals and 12 assists in his last 19 games against New York and Sean Couturier has 6 points in his last 8 games overall as the Flyers look to grab 2 more points in the race for the Atlantic Division.
The Islanders just look to remain relevant in the NHL as they start playing the spoiler role at the halfway point of the season. The currently have a roster that boasts 1 player that registers on the + side of the +/- column. Matt Moulson is a +5. Every other player has a negative rating. You aren't going to win that many games when your players are getting scored on more than you are scoring on them. The Flyers have only 6 players in the negative column. Seven if you include Jody Shelley.
Matt Moulson, aside from being the Islanders best player, is also their leading scorer. With 20 goals on the season he joins John Tavares and Michael Grabner as the only Isles to hit the double digit column. Kyle Okposo, P.A. Parenteau, and Frans Nielsen are knocking on the door but past that they don't offer much depth.
They have a carousel of guys in net but Al Montoya has been arguably their best but has split the ice time with Evgeni Nabokov this season with a little Rick DePietro mixed in. Nabokov is more likely to start tonight for the Isles but I have no confirmation of that.
For the Flyers, Sergei Bobrovsky will be in net. Hard to blame Lavy, Bob has a 6-0-0 record against the Isles with a 1.84 GAA for his career. Bob played great between the pipes in Carolina on Tuesday night stopping 35 of 36 shots. Bryzgalov has given up 4 or more goals in 5 of his last 7 games and has seen the pressure starting to be applied.
Look for a pretty physical game tonight, these two teams don't exactly like one another. Not sure if their will be any fights but there is always the possibility.
Players to watch for:
New York Islanders- C- John Tavares. As John Tavares goes, so do the Islanders. He is their man. He doesn't bring the same offensive pop as Matt Moulson but he is probably a better all around player. If the Islanders can somehow win this game, look for Tavares to have a big part in that.
Philadelphia Flyers- C- Scott Hartnell. Hartsy hasn't had a shot in two games. Need I say more?
Prediction- Flyers 3 - Islanders 1
The Flyers are 17-1-5 in their last 23 games against the Isles. No reason to think that changes tonight. Hartnell, Jaromir Jagr, and Claude Giroux are pointless in their last three and that line should bust out tonight. I just cant bring myself to give Bob his first career shutout. Just cant...
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