Isles at Flyers, Tonight @ 7:30 ET

New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers
Tonight at 7:30 ET

Denise Karl's Islanders Report

Previous Meetings This Season: See Bill Meltzer's report below.

Isles in the last 10 games: 3-7-0.

Who's Hot: Scott Gordon. Hot under the collar that is. Especially after Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Bruins. Not looking to make excuses, he said the Islanders defense is depleted and the mental mistakes were taking a toll on their attempt at extending their season. On the other hand, Matt Moulson is the Islanders' leading goal scorer with 23 to go 16 assists for 39 points. Blake Comeau was on a mini-hot streak once he started using Trent Hunter's sticks, and scored his first career hat trick on 3/2/10 against the Black Hawks. But his potential scoring streak was cut short Saturday when he left the ice and didn't return after being taken into the glass by Bruin Michael Ryder. Blake will be a game time decision.

Who's Not: John Tavares. Although he has hit his rookie wall with a loud thud, JT still has 17 goals 18 assists and 35 points. The Flyers' James Van Riemsdyk( JVR) has 14 goals 19 assists and 33 points. So JT is still just slightly ahead of JVR.

Trends: The Islanders are having a problem playing a full 60 minutes. This has led to the disappointment of their head coach.

What to look for: Robbie Schremp can produce some YouTube quality moves with the puck, with some of them hitting the back of the net. Also look for newcomer Dylan Reese, who was playing with the Syracuse Crunch prior to the trade deadline. Reese played 52 games with the Crunch before finding himself traded to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers where he played one game. The next day he was in an Islanders sweater, taking the place of defenseman Andrew MacDonald, who was placed on injured reserve along with Trent Hunter. Captain Doug Weight did not practice on Monday and was said to have the flu. I am told he should be ready to go by game time. We'll see.

Fun Fact: There have been 19 shutouts in the history of the battles between these two teams. Three of them were earned by none other than Islanders GM Garth Snow; one as the man in net for the Flyers on 12/19/96 and two for the Islanders on 12/6/01 and 2/12/02.

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Bill Meltzer's Flyers Report

Previous Meetings This Season: This is the fifth of six meetings between the clubs and the Flyers will attempt to stretch their winning streak against their division foe to 15 in a row. The Flyers have won all four previous games in regulation, but three of the games have been 2-1 affairs.

On Nov. 25, the Flyers trailed the host Islanders early but prevailed, 2-1, behind a 28-save effort from goaltender Brian Boucher and goals by Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell.

On Dec. 8 in Philadelphia,deuces were wild in a 6-2 Philadelphia win. Richards staked the Flyers to a 2-0 lead on power play and shorthanded goals in the first period. Early in the second period, Jeff Carter pumped home power play and even strength goals to extend the lead to 4-0. After the Islanders' John Tavares answered back with a pair of power play tallies to shave the deficit back to two goals, it was Claude Giroux's turn to score back-to-back goals for Philly's final margin of victory.

On Dec. 27, the Flyers won 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum, spearheaded by Daniel Briere and Carter goals and a 28-save effort from Michael Leighton.

On Jan. 31, the scene shifted back to Philadelphia. Briere staked Philly to an early lead with a power play goal. A few minutes after Josh Bailey knotted the game in the middle period, Hartnell scored a power play marker to give Philly a lead it would nurse through the rest of the game. The game was also marked by a controversial waived off goal for the Flyers that also resulted in a goaltender interference penalty on Hartnell. Ray Emery made 31 saves for the victory.

Flyers in last 10 games: The Flyers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, including a 2-1-1 mark in the four games since the Olympic break.

Who's Hot: Simon Gagne has seemed rejuvenated by the Olympic break. The winger, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday, has scored four goals and five points in his last four games. Daniel Briere has scored in two of the last three games and has five goals in his last five games. Mike Richards brings a five-game point streak (3 goals, 5 assists) into this tilt.

Who's Not: Scott Hartnell was recently temporarily demoted to the fourth line. He has not scored in his last 11 games and has one goal in the last 18. Claude Giroux is pointless in the last three games and has one goal in the last 10.

Trends: The Flyers have owned the Islanders in recent years. Philadelphia has won 14 straight games against their divisional rivals, the longest active streak between teams in the NHL.

What to look for: The Flyers will look to establish a forechecking presence early in the game and attempt to forge a quick lead against a team that ranks 27th in the NHL in terms of winning percentage in games in which it gives up the first goal of the match.

Fun Fact: The Flyers have a 113-83-4 all-time regular season record against the Islanders, plus 26 ties. In home games, Philly enjoys a 67-37-2 record with 11 ties.