Islanders at Flyers
THE STORY: Sean Couturier received quite the compliment from All-Star Claude Giroux. "What is he, 19 or 20? He's so mature," said Giroux, who just turned the ripe old age of 24 himself. "I think he's got one of the best sticks in the league. ... Just amazing to see a young player like that. He's going to be a really good player." Couturier, 19, is doing a fine job at the moment as the rookie scored in his fifth straight game in Tuesday's 5-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. The eighth overall pick of the draft, Couturier will look to help the Flyers keep their good fortune going on Thursday when they host the New York Islanders. Philadelphia has dominated its Atlantic Division rival, winning 26 of 28 meetings - including 13 straight at home. For its part, New York managed to defeat a team which traditionally had its number on Tuesday. The Islanders posted a 3-0 triumph over the Washington Capitals, who had recorded an 11-1-1 mark in their previous 13 meetings.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG+2, CSP
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (17-21-6): All-Star C John Tavares extended his career-best scoring streak to 10 games with a goal against the Capitals. The top overall pick of the 2009 draft, Tavares also tallied in a 3-2 loss loss to the Flyers on Jan. 12. G Evgeni Nabokov suffered his first regulation loss to Philadelphia in that outing (6-1-2), but rebounded with a pair of victories in his next two contests. The 36-year-old Russian stopped all 17 shots on Tuesday for the Islanders' first shutout of the season.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (27-13-4): Currently riding a three-game home winning streak, Philadelphia is going to see plenty of its fans at the Wells Fargo Center. Coach Peter Laviolette's club began a stretch of 11 of 15 games with Tuesday's victory. Scott Hartnell, who some view as an All-Star snub, notched his sixth career 20-goal season with a tally versus the Wild. Hartnell also scored in both contests against the Islanders this season.
OVERTIME:
1. Islanders G Al Montoya returned to the bench for the first time since suffering a concussion on Dec. 20. As a result, G Kevin Poulin was sent back to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League after yielding three first-period goals in a 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday.
2. While G Ilya Bryzgalov fared well versus the Wild, Sergei Bobrovsky will likely get the nod versus the Islanders. Bobrovsky is a perfect 7-0-0 with a 1.86 goals-against average in his career versus New York.