Flyers at Islanders
THE STORY: After bordering on being a high-priced disappointment, Ilya Bryzgalov has paid substantial dividends lately for the Philadelphia Flyers. Signed to a nine-year, $51 million deal in the offseason, Bryzgalov was admittedly "lost in the woods" before finding himself losing playing time to fellow Russian Sergei Bobrovsky. With three consecutive shutouts and four in five games, Bryzgalov will look to keep cruising along on Thursday when the Flyers visit the New York Islanders.
TV: 7 p.m. CSP, MSG+
ABOUT THE FLYERS (40-22-7): The NHL's First Star of the Week, Bryzgalov continued his dominant ways by stopping all 17 shots he faced in Tuesday's 3-0 triumph over the rival New Jersey Devils. Bryzgalov extended his shutout streak to 196 minutes, 13 seconds - putting him within striking distance of franchise record holder John Vanbiesbrouck (227:40, set in 1999). While Bryzgalov is getting his fair share of the credit, Philadelphia has killed off 22 of 24 shorthanded situations en route to winning six of its last seven games.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (28-31-11): New York continues to squander opportunities to secure points - and prevent its adversaries from collecting them in the process. Consider Tuesday's game against eighth-place Washington, which overcame a three-goal deficit to secure a 5-4 shootout victory over the Islanders. All-Star C John Tavares tallied twice for New York, which has dropped four in a row (0-2-2) to fall 11 points back of the Capitals. Tavares collected a goal and two assists in his previous two games versus Philadelphia before being held off the scoresheet on March 1.
OVERTIME:
1. Flyers RW Jakub Voracek returned from a three-game absence with a head injury to score against the Devils on Tuesday. Voracek has found the sledding tough versus the Islanders, recording just one goal in 10 career contests.
2. Islanders RW PA Parenteau is expected to play on Thursday despite missing Tuesday's tilt with an upper body injury. Parenteau has struggled versus Philadelphia with one goal in 12 career contests.