Flyers at Islanders
The New York Islanders have been perfect under interim coach Doug Weight and look to remain that way Sunday, when they continue their six-game homestand against the Metropolitan Division-rival Philadelphia Flyers. Weight, who spent the final three seasons of his playing career with the Islanders, replaced the fired Jack Capuano prior to the stretch at Barclays Center - which has begun with wins over Dallas and Los Angeles.
New York has won three straight overall and Anders Lee collected three goals and three assists during his four-game point streak after tallying twice in Saturday's 4-2 triumph over the Kings. A five-day break did nothing to help Philadelphia, which dropped a 4-1 home decision to New Jersey on Saturday for its third consecutive loss and 12th in 15 games (3-9-3). The Flyers have scored a total of one goal over their last two matches and been held to fewer than three tallies 10 times during their current slump. Wayne Simmonds leads the club with 18 goals but has scored just one in his last 10 games and three over the past 19 contests.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (22-19-6): Simmonds is not the only member of the team struggling offensively, as leading scorer Jakub Voracek (41 points) is mired in a seven-game goal-scoring drought and has tallied in only one of his last 17 games. Captain Claude Giroux, who is second on the club with 38 points, registered seven in as many contests but has been kept off the scoresheet in each of his last two matches and is suffering through a 12-game goal drought. Travis Konecny, a 19-year-old rookie center, has scored four of his eight goals over the last nine games and also tallied in Philadelphia's 3-2 shootout win at New York on Nov. 3.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (19-17-8): John Tavares has been on a tear since a three-game point drought, registering eight goals and an assist over his last five contests. The 26-year-old captain, who leads the team in tallies and points (36), is one score away from reaching the 20-goal plateau in each of his eight NHL seasons. New York is awaiting the return of three regulars, as Andrew Ladd and defenseman Johnny Boychuk have missed three and two games, respectively, with upper-body injuries while Cal Clutterbuck sat out Saturday's contest with a lower-body ailment.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders have allowed a total of two goals during their winning streak, which includes shutouts against Boston and Dallas.
2. Philadelphia C Brayden Schenn's next goal will be the 100th of his career.
3. New York C Casey Cizikas needs one point for 100 in the NHL, Clutterbuck and LW Josh Bailey both are one goal away from 100 and F Shane Prince is preparing to appear in his 100th career game on Sunday.