The NY Islanders have lost two consecutive games, but they still have a chance to make the Eastern Conference playoffs when they take on Philadelphia on Thursday night. New York currently stands four points out of the second wild card spot that's occupied by Boston. On the other side, the Flyers also still have a glimmer of hope as they can tie the Islanders at 82 points with a win. They've won their last two contests to stay in the race. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM Eastern time and the matchup can be seen on MSG Plus, CSN Philadelphia, and NHL.tv.
Islanders (35-28-12, 82 points, 5th Metropolitan)
Its been an inconsistent case of winning and dropping two games for New York, but the bigger picture also sees them losing six of their last nine games. They've only scored one goal in their last two contests against Boston and Nashville -- the game against the Bruins being crucial as they're battling to take them out of the playoff race.
Defender Johnny Boychuk (21 pts) is likely to make his return tonight. He hasn't been seen since March 3rd against Chicago, and he last scored a point against New Jersey on February 19th. Left wing Nikolay Kulemin (22 pts) has been out for the past week with an upper-body injury and will not appear in this contest.
Flyers (36-32-8, 80 points, 7th Metropolitan)
Philadelphia is in a tougher situation than their opponent, but they're on a better track by winning five of their last eight games. They beat Pittsburgh before taking a shootout win over Ottawa two nights ago. A key for them will be to attack in the second period as the Islanders have given up nearly two of them on average in their last 10 games.
Center Nick Cousins (16 pts) continues to be out with a concussion. He was last seen in action back on March 15th. Right wing Wayne Simmonds (49 pts) scored a goal in their last meeting against New York, but he has been held without a point in the last three games.
The Flyers are a -140 favorite at home in this matchup. They had a five-game winning streak against the Islanders until New York broke the streak in their last matchup, 3-1, on February 9th.
