The New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers will face off again on Thursday night in Philadelphia, marking the third meeting between the two teams in just two weeks.
The Flyers won the first game 5-3 on January 16, but the Islanders have been on a strong run since, winning all five games they’ve played, including a 3-1 victory in the rematch last Friday.
Now, the two teams will meet again for the final match of their three-game January series. Their last matchup of the season is scheduled for April 12 in Philadelphia. Both teams are looking for more wins as they remain behind other teams in the standings.
Despite their recent success, the Islanders are still in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, just one point behind the Flyers.
The Islanders have allowed only seven goals in their last five games, with another solid defensive performance in Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
“On this stretch, we’ve gotten (back) to our brand of hockey,” said Islanders captain Anders Lee. “We executed (our style) well. It feels natural, the way it’s come together.”
Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves in the game, and Simon Holmstrom scored twice and added an assist. Bo Horvat also scored, bringing his total to eight goals in the last 10 games.
“Ilya was outstanding in that game,” said Islanders coach Patrick Roy, highlighting Sorokin’s performance.
The Islanders scored four goals in the third period to turn a close game into a dominant win. However, Roy believes there’s still room for improvement.
“How many times have I said (that) you don’t need to be perfect to win hockey games?” Roy said. “That’s exactly what we did. We gave ourselves a chance tonight.”
Meanwhile, the Flyers struggled in their last game on Wednesday, suffering a 5-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Samuel Ersson allowed four goals before being pulled halfway through the game. Coach John Tortorella said after the game that the Flyers struggled with killing penalties.
“We still think we’re there. It just got away from us with not being able to kill penalties,” Tortorella said.
Tortorella confirmed that Ivan Fedotov, who replaced Ersson, will start in goal against the Islanders. He expressed the hope that playing again so soon will help the team move past their loss.
“That’s all we’re looking for,” Tortorella said.
The Flyers have lost three of their last four games, managing just two goals in those three defeats. One of those losses came in the most recent game against the Islanders, where Tyson Foerster scored first but the Islanders came back with goals from Brock Nelson, earning a 3-1 win.
“We got beat tonight, fair and square,” said Flyers forward Scott Laughton. “We’re lucky that we get another division game (Thursday), but we got beat tonight. It’s a good hockey team, but we need to be better at this time of year.”
