Meet the New Guys: Islanders Lineup, Matchups and game Notes vs. Flyers

The New York Islanders will see their latest acquisitions be inserted right into the lineup tonight less than 24 hours after they were picked up. Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac will be in Islanders orange and blue when they host the Philadelphia Flyers at the Nassau Coliseum.

The Islanders traded for the two forwards on Wednesday night in a blockbuster deal that kicked off trade deadline season with a bang. The move came as the Islanders battle for first place in the East Division, where they are currently tied for the top spot with Washington.

The usually tightlipped New York Islanders head coach Barry Trotz did hint that there was a chance that Zajac and Palmieri appear on the same line together tonight when they hit the ice against Philadelphia. There was no news on which goaltender would be between the pipes tonight or what players would be moved around to accommodate the two new additions.

It is likely that Leo Komarov, Kieffer Bellows and Ross Johnston will be among those scratched for the  New York Islanders.

📹 Cizikas Pregame Availability 📹 pic.twitter.com/jFW9Whk7rH

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) April 8, 2021

“We have a solid group right now that believes in each other,” Casey Cizikas said after an optional morning skate on Long Island. “Going into each game, it doesn’t matter who is on the ice we’re going to be a dangerous team out there and we’re going to play the way we’ve done all season. (Palmieri and Zajac) fit in perfectly to that system and the way that this is going it’s looking good.”

New York has won three straight games heading into tonight’s contest with Philadelphia, which the Islanders have already beaten in their last three meetings against them. It took a winning goal in the shootout from Mathew Barzal for the Islanders to be victorious in their last outing with Philly.

Philadelphia did hold a morning skate on Long Island this morning.

Where Will Barry Trotz Use Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac in Islanders Lineup?

New York Islanders Lineup (Projected)

Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Oliver Wahlstrom

Josh Bailey — Travis Zajac — Kyle Palmieri

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin

Semyon Varlamov

Philadelphia Flyers Lineup (Projected)

James van Riemsdyk — Sean Couturier — Joel Farabee

Scott Laughton — Kevin Hayes — Nolan Patrick

Travis Konecny — Claude Giroux — Jakub Voracek

Oskar Lindblom — Michael Raffl — Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Ivan Provorov — Justin Braun

Travis Sanheim — Philippe Myers

Samuel Morin — Shayne Gostisbehere

Carter Hart

Brian Elliott

Game Notes

The Islanders have earned points in 18 of their first 19 home games this season, tied for the most in club history through 19 games. … The Islanders have points in five-of-six games against Philadelphia this season and have earned points in nine of their last ten games against them. … New York’s power play is ranked 11th in the NHL with a success rate of 80.6 percent. The Islanders have killed off their last five straight penalties, which includes three against Philadelphia last Saturday. … Claude Giroux leads both Philadelphia and New York skaters in points in the series so far. He has seven points through six games against the Islanders. … Philadelphia ranks third in the NHL in faceoff percentage with a 53.1 percent success rate. … Jake Voracek is on a four-game point streak, with a goal and five assists.

How to Watch

Tonight’s game will air on MSG+ and stream on MSG Go or on NHL.TV outside of the New York market. On the radio dial, the game can be heard on 1050 AM ESPN, 88.7 FM WRHU and 103.9 FM LI News Radio.