Flyers at Islanders
THE STORY: Sidney Crosby's return to the ice caused the
hockey world to stop and take notice. Unfortunately for the New York
Islanders, they witnessed his performance first-hand as the phenom collected
two goals and two assists in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-0 victory on
Monday. Considering that his club was also held off the score sheet
during its 6-0 drubbing by the reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston
Bruins on Saturday, coach Jack Capuano admitted the obvious - he
has issues with his offense. "It is frustrating to go two games without
scoring a goal. That's just the way it is right now," Capuano said. "You
gotta score two or three goals a night in this league to win, no
question." The Islanders have dropped 12 of their last 14 (2-9-3) to
plunge into the Eastern Conference basement. They'll look to right the
ship on Wednesday when the Atlantic Division rival Philadelphia Flyers
pay a visit to Long Island. Philadelphia has also dropped
two in a row - although the modest losing skid comes after posting an
impressive 6-0-2 mark. The Flyers have won their last six meetings and
24 of 26 overall against the Islanders.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSP, MSG+
ABOUT THE FLYERS (11-6-3): Rookie Matt Read extended
his goal-scoring streak to five games with a power-play tally during
Monday's 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Should Read find the net
against the Islanders, he'll match former Legion of Doom member Mikael
Renberg's mark of six straight games with a goal for a rookie, which was set in
1994. It would behoove the Flyers to stay out of the penalty box, as they have allowed five power-play goals in their last 12
shorthanded chances.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (5-10-3): New York has failed to
score in 141 minutes, 45 seconds. John Tavares, who leads the team with
eight tallies, is mired in a seven-game goalless drought while alternate
captain Kyle Okposo - who returned after being scratched for three
games - is still searching for his first goal of the season. After
Anders Nilsson struggled in his first NHL start on Monday, franchise
goaltender Rick DiPietro will likely return against the Flyers. DiPietro
is 7-14-0 in his career versus Philadelphia.
OVERTIME:
1. Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn (upper body) will travel to
New York for Wednesday's game, while fellow blue-liner Chris Pronger
(virus) has already been ruled out. Veteran Jaromir Jagr (groin) will be
a game-time decision.
2. New York placed defenseman Mark Eaton (knee) on injured reserve. He
is expected to be sidelined approximately six weeks with a sprained MCL.