NEW YORK ISLANDERS (40-30-9) VS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (29-36-13)
7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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With three games left in the regular season and a playoff spot up for grabs, the New York Islanders take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
The Islanders are coming off an important 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at UBS Arena, beating the Bolts for the first time in the regular season since Dec. 9, 2019. Adam Pelech, Brock Nelson (1G, 2A), Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Pulock (1G, 1A), Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat (1G, 1A) scored for New York, while Nikita Kucherov scored the lone goal for Tampa Bay.
"Every game is a must-win at this point," Pelech said. "That's the way we've been treating it for a while now. It definitely feels like playoffs, the crowd, the atmosphere… it definitely felt like a playoff game."
The Flyers are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, with Kevin Hayes as the lone goal scorer. Philadelphia is on a five-game winless skid (0-4-1) immediately following a six-game stretch where they went 5-0-1.
The Islanders lead the season series against the Flyers 2-1-0. When these teams last crossed paths on Feb. 6, the Islanders ranked sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 55 points - five points ahead of the Flyers in the standings - with the Flyers having played one fewer game. Now, the Islanders are in fourth with 89 points, while the Flyers are seventh with 71 points.
The Islanders are in the thick of a heated wild card race in the Eastern Conference, with the top three teams all within one point, all at 79 games played. It's coming down to the wire for the Islanders, who have 89 points and hold the second wild card spot. The Florida Panthers (89 points) occupy the first wild card spot, ranking above the Islanders with one more regulation win. The Pittsburgh Penguins (88 points) sit one point out.
"Everyone understands we're getting down to the nitty gritty," Pulock said. "We have to collect points. It's a tight race and we can control our own spot. It's been tight going down the stretch here. Every game matters, every point matters."
ISLANDERS NOTES:
- With Thursday's 6-1 win over the Lightning, the Isles won by at least five goals for the third time this season. The Islanders also scored four goals in the same period for the fifth time of the season, rebounding after scoring one goal combined in a back-to-back set in their previous two matchups."It just proves that we can do it," Horvat said of the offensive production on Thursday night. "Our chances weren't going in for previous games, so hopefully they keep going in for these last three games."
- The Islanders have a record of 23-13-3 on home ice and are 11-4-0 in their last 15 games at UBS Arena. Two of their remaining three games are at home, including Wednesday's regular season finale against the Montreal Canadiens.
- Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves on Thursday, allowing one goal or fewer for the 22nd time this season, while picking up his first career win against the Lightning in the process. Per team statistician Eric Hornick, Ilya Sorokin is the first goaltender with 29 wins in a season since Jaroslav Halak in 2014-15.
"He's unbelievable," Horvat said of Sorokin. "One of the best goalies I've played in front of. Just his poise and ability to make saves in key times is phenomenal."
- Adam Pelech tallied the opening goal in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, snapping a 15-game goal drought in the process. The defenseman established a new career-high in goals (6).
- Brock Nelson had his second three-point performance of the season on Thursday, including the game-winning goal and two helpers. Nelson leads the Islanders in game-winners (7) and is also the first Islander since 2017-18 with at least 72 points in a season.
- Samuel Bolduc registered his first career NHL assist in Thursday's 6-1 win, adding to his two points (1G, 1A) on the season through 14 appearances. The defenseman's first NHL point was the game-winner in the Islanders' 4-0 win over the Seattle Kraken on Feb. 7.
- The Islanders have a record of 15-7-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents.
FLYERS NOTES:
- The Flyers will wrap a four-game road trip with a visit to Long Island on Saturday. They will return home for a brief two-game homestand before concluding their season on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks on Apr. 13.- Carter Hart made his return between the pipes after missing five games with a lower-body injury sustained in a morning skate on Mar. 28. The 24-year-old netminder allowed four goals against the Stars on Thursday and is sporting a season GAA of 2.92, along with a .908 SV%.
- Travis Konecny has set a career-best in goals (29) and riding his third 50+ point season with 56 points. Konecny's career-high is 61 points, established in the 2019-20.
- Morgan Frost is one short of a 20-goal campaign for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old forward played 77 games this season, shattering career-highs in goals (19), assists (24) and points (43) after playing parts of four seasons with the franchise.
- Noah Cates is hitting the scoresheet frequently in his first full NHL season, recording 35 points (12G, 23A) in 78 games played, including five game-winners.
- James van Riemsdyk is one goal shy of 300th in his 14th NHL season. The 33-year-old winger has 28 points (11G, 17A) on the season.
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