3 Storylines: Islanders @ Flyers, January 18
AP Photo/Jim McIsaac
The 13-18-7 Flyers have gotten themselves into a similar situation that they were in a month ago: fighting another long losing streak. This one comes with the midway point of the season on the horizon.
The Flyers’ll try to end their skid Tuesday with another chance at the 12-13-6 New York Islanders at home, who they lost to in New York on Monday night.
Here’s three storylines along with the projected lineups:
It’s been a month
With a pair of postponements, the NHL-mandated holiday break, and an eight-game losing streak, the Flyers haven’t won a game in front of their fans since December 18. That was a moth ago.
It’s an overused cliché in hockey but the Flyers truly need to play a desperate game tonight and get back in the win column. After falling to the Islanders, 4-1, Monday night, the Flyers have now had two losing streaks of eight or more games in the same season for the first time since the horrid 22–48–12 2006-07 season.
The Flyers have a shot to avoid real catastrophe at home. They play five of their next seven games at the Wells Fargo Center, with all of them winnable matchups. The Flyers are also scheduled to have their longest homestand of the season from February 26 to March 8 when they play six straight in Philly.
If the Flyers are going to find a way to dig out of this, starting at home appears to be the biggest opportunity.
Dire need of goals
During their 0-6-2 skid, the Flyers have scored only 1.88 goals per game.
Interim head coach Mike Yeo’s club is desperate for offense. The Flyers haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since that last home win on December 18 when they beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-3.
Travis Konecny snapped a 20-game goal drought in Monday night’s loss. The Flyers would love to see him get going from a goal-scoring standpoint.
Uncertain about one thing
The Flyers’ lineup is uncertain as of know. Yeo will hold his pregame media availability around 4:30pm. ET, so we should know more then.
But for now, the projected lineup for both squads is below.
Projected lineups
Flyers projected lineup
Joel Farabee — Claude Giroux — Cam Atkinson
James van Riemsdyk — Kevin Hayes — Gerry Mayhew
Oskar Lindblom — Scott Laughton — Travis Konecny
Morgan Frost — Connor Bunnaman — Zack MacEwen
Ivan Provorov — Travis Sanheim
Cam York — Justin Braun
Keith Yandle — Rasmus Ristolainen
Carter Hart
Martin Jones
Scratched: Kevin Connauton, Nick Seeler, Max Willman
Injured: Ryan Ellis (lower body), Sean Couturier (upper body), Nate Thompson (shoulder), Derick Brassard (hip), Patrick Brown (knee)
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee — Mathew Barzal — Josh Bailey
Kieffer Bellows — Brock Nelson — Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Oliver Wahlstrom
Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech — Scott Mayfield
Zdeno Chara — Noah Dobson
Robin Salo — Andy Greene
Semyon Varlamov
Ilya Sorokin
Scratched: Sebastian Aho
Injured: Kyle Palmieri (lower body)
Suspended: Ross Johnston
COVID-19 protocol: Ryan Pulock
