Game Preview: Islanders vs Flyers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (6-6-5) VS PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (10-7-1)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 1050AM

The New York Islanders are back in action at home to take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders are coming off a 5-4 SO win over the Calgary Flames on Saturday, which concluded their four-game road trip in Western Canada. Hudson Fasching, Kyle Palmieri (1 PPG, 1A), Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson (1G, 1A) scored in regulation for the Islanders, while Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves. Martin Pospisil, Blake Coleman, MacKenzie Weegar and Yegor Sharangovich scored for the Flames, while Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves in the shootout loss. The win snapped a seven-game winless skid and extended their point streak to three games (1-0-2).

“It was nice to get rewarded over the trip,” Noah Dobson said. “We probably should have walked away with a couple more [points], but we stuck with it and grinded one out. It’s huge for the mojo, coming back home coming off a win rather than a loss, so hopefully we can carry some momentum in the next few games here.”

The Flyers are bringing a five-game win streak into Wednesday’s matchup against the Islanders. Their recent success improved their record to 10-7-2 and lifted them to second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers picked up a pair of wins in a back-to-back set over the weekend, with a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and a 4-3 OT feat against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

The Islanders have wins in all seven of their previous matchups on home ice against the Flyers and are 11-2-0 in their last 13 games against Philly overall. The two Metro rivals will face off twice at UBS Arena over the span of four days and will not cross paths again until Apr. 1st.

THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE

The Islanders are hosting a Thanksgiving Food Drive, in partnership with Island Harvest and supported by Stop & Shop. Between 5 p.m. and puck drop, fans can drop off eight or more nonperishable items outside of Main Entrance in exchange for a voucher redeemable for two tickets to a select regular season home game this season.

Participants must be in attendance for Wednesday's game. One ticket voucher per person.

MILTARY JERSEY AUCTION

The Military Appreciation Autographed Jersey Auction is live until bidding closes at 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday.

These specialty themed jerseys are autographed by corresponding players and proceeds will benefit the Islanders Children’s Foundation. Winners will also receive two complimentary lower-bowl tickets to one of the following home games, Tuesday, January 9 vs. Vancouver Canucks or Sunday, January 21 vs. Dallas Stars at UBS Arena.

Fans can bid HERE.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- Matt Martin (upper-body) did not practice with the team on Tuesday, but skated on his own. The forward has two points (1G, 1A) through 14 games this season.

- Julien Gauthier, who was out with an illness and was unavailable for two games, skated with the team on Tuesday. Gauthier is without a point through two appearances in his first season with the Islanders.

- Cal Clutterbuck is expected to play in his 1000th NHL game on Wednesday night. The 36-year-old winger is in his 11th season with the Islanders and sports a resume with 170 points (76G, 94A) through 653 games with Long Island. Clutterbuck is slated to become the 385th player in league history to play in 1,000 games.

- Bo Horvat is riding a five-game point streak (1G, 4A). He has 14 points (5G, 9A) through 16 games of his first full season with the Islanders.

“I’m just trying to do my job,” Horvat said on Tuesday. “[Mathew Barzal] and [Simon Holmstrom] have been playing great with me. We’re getting a lot of chances and doing good things out there.”

- Brock Nelson leads the team in goals (8) and has four points (2G, 2A) in his last three outings. Nelson led the team in goals last season, with 36.

FLYERS NOTES

- Travis Sanheim is off to the best start of his career with a team-high 16 points (2G, 14) in through 18 games, while ranking second in the NHL in ice time with 25:58 TOI/GP. The 27-year-old defenseman is in the first year of an eight-year deal, which he signed in Oct. 2022.

- Travis Konecny leads the team with 11 goals in his eighth season with Philly. He led the Flyers in goals (31) and points (61) last season.

- Carter Hart has six wins in 10 starts, with a .919 SV%, 2.40 GAA and one shutout over that span. The netminder missed some time earlier this month due to a mid-body injury, but returned between the pipes on Nov. 15, where he contained the Hurricanes to one goal and made 31 saves in a 3-1 win for the Flyers. Hart followed up with a win in his following start, which resulted in a 4-3 OT win against the Golden Knights on Saturday.

- Owen Tippett has been heating up for the Flyers, recording seven points (5G, 2A) in his last five games.

- Marc Staal skated in practice on Tuesday and is getting closer to returning to game action after missing 14 games with an upper-body injury. He was activated from the team’s IR list on Tuesday, but Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella said the defenseman will be a game-time decision against the Islanders. Stall is pointless through his first four games with Philadelphia.

- The Flyers are tied with the Avalanche for the league lead in shorthanded goals (6).