After two straight meetings at Nassau Coliseum, the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers switch venues for their third game in a row. Philadelphia won 4-3 on March 18, New York bounced back with a 6-1 victory on March 20 and the rubber match at Wells Fargo Center will be the teams’ fifth of the season.

Drought Enders

Multiple Islanders ended dry spells in the 6-1 win two days ago. Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the first time in 10 games, Jordan Eberle and Anthony Beauvillier both scored for the first time in nine contests and Josh Bailey scored his third goal in his last 23 games. Thomas Hickey played in his first NHL game in almost two years, contributing two assists, and the Islanders as a team picked up a “W” in front of the general public for the first time since Feb. 23, 2020.

Young Guns

Oliver Wahlstrom’s two assists last game gave him a three-game point streak. He sits tied for third amongst rookies in goals with seven and sixth in points with 14. He leads all first-year players with seven power-play points. Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves and picked up his seventh-straight win two nights ago. He leads all rookie netminders with a 2.08 goals-against average, sits fourth with a .915 save percentage and his two shutouts are tied for the rookie lead.

Lineup Changes

Head coach Barry Trotz made some changes to the Islanders’ lineup ahead of the team’s 6-1 victory over the Flyers. Thomas Hickey replaced Sebastian Aho, who had filled in for COVID-list-resident Noah Dobson for the prior three games. Hickey began the game with Scott Mayfield and Nick Leddy played with Andy Greene to start. Upfront, Leo Komarov slotted into the first line in place of Kieffer Bellows alongside Mat Barzal and Eberle.

How To Tune In

Tonight’s Islanders game versus the Flyers will be on MSG+ or MSG Go. Fans can hear every Islanders’ game on 88.7 FM WRHU or 103.9 WRCN. Tonight’s game will also be available on 1050 AM ESPN radio.

John Smark