Philadelphia @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2018 ) NY Islanders 6, Philadelphia 1

The Philadelphia Flyers continue to keep themselves in striking distance of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot and look to complete a three-game road trip on a high note Sunday when they take on the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders. The Flyers are seven points out of the second wild card after a 3-0-1 stretch, capped by Friday’s uneven 6-3 victory at New Jersey.

“It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to win and that’s all that matters,” Philadelphia center Sean Couturier told reporters Friday after his team strung together four straight tallies after coughing up a two-goal lead. The Flyers, who dropped the season series opener 6-1 in late October, will play the Islanders three times this month - including another matchup in New York on March 9. The Islanders could not pull off an impressive back-to-back sweep, pounding former captain John Tavares and Toronto 6-1 on Thursday before succumbing to reigning Stanley Cup champion Washington in a 3-1 setback 24 hours later. “We had a tough time at certain points sustaining offensive zone pressure,” New York right wing Josh Bailey told Newsday. “Philadelphia is a desperate team. I’m sure they’re going to come with their A game and we’ve got to make sure we bring ours.”

TV: 3 p.m. ET, Sporstnet One, TVA; NBCS Philadelphia, MSG Plus (New York)

ABOUT THE FLYERS (31-26-8): Philadelphia set an NHL record by using its eighth goalie of the season when Cam Talbot turned aside 30 shots Friday in his debut with the club after coming over from Edmonton in a trade. “It’s nice to get a fresh start on a team that is playing extremely well right now,” Talbot told reporters. “I’m coming in and trying to keep my head down, not mess with the chemistry, and try to contribute any chance I can get like (Friday).” Captain Claude Giroux boasts seven of his team-high 68 points in the last four games while fellow forward Jakub Voracek is red hot with three goals and six assists in the same span.

ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (37-20-7): Leading scorer Mathew Barzal has cooled off a bit of late with two of his 52 points in the last six games, but Bailey boasts eight (six assists) in his last eight contests to push his total to 48 points. Forward Brock Nelson is third on the team with 43 points after posting seven in a seven-game span and captain Anders Lee leads the team with 22 goals - four in the past seven contests. Matt Martin left Friday’s game with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day while fellow left wing Andrew Ladd was a healthy scratch, but is expected to be in the lineup against Philadelphia with assists in his last three outings.

OVERTIME

1. New York G Robin Lehner beat the Flyers earlier this season and has allowed only four goals in his last three games overall.

2. Philadelphia LW James van Riemsdyk has registered four goals along with a pair of assists in his last four contests.

3. The Islanders entered Saturday 24th in the league on the power play (16.2 percent) after going 0-for-8 the last four games.

PREDICTION: Flyers 4, Islanders 3