Fading Flyers are Slight Faves Against Islanders
Key Matchup Nearly a Pick'em For Islanders vs Flyers Preview
Wins Are Hard to Come By For Islanders, Flyers
Metropolitan Division rivals meet for the first time since November as the slumping New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers clash in Philly. The Islanders vs Flyers preview has the host, Philadelphia, as the slight favorite.
The teams split the first two meetings this season with the Islanders winning 3-2 as the home favorite while Philadelphia took the rematch 1-0 just three days later.
The NHL betting lines have the Flyers priced at -115 to snap their losing streak. The Islanders have -105 odds to win outright as the game could turn into a pick’em by the time the puck drops. The Flyers have +215 odds to cover against the puck line as the 1.5-goal favorite. Philadelphia has been the underdog in the last six home games against the Islanders.
Regarding the NHL playoff bracket, Philadelphia holds the final spot in the Eastern Conference with a possible first-round matchup with the New York Rangers. The Islanders are five points out of a playoff spot.
Philadelphia is 15th at +8000 in the odds of winning the Stanley Cup with the Islanders coming in 16th at +10000 in the Stanley Cup odds.
Read more on the matchup between the Islanders and the Flyers.
Islanders vs Flyers 
Records: Islanders 31-27-15 at Flyers 36-29-10
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Day/Time:
Streaming: ESPN+
Time Running Out for the Islanders
The Islanders began March with four wins in a row. They played their way into playoff contention as the move to turn to Patrick Roy as the head coach seemed to pay off.
Since then, the Islanders are 2-7-1 with New York being outscored 37-19. The recent struggles began with the Islanders being shut out in back-to-back games. The two wins have come against Florida, the second-place team in the Atlantic Division, and Winnipeg, the third-place team in the Central Division.
Star defenseman Noah Dobson has a -14 plus/minus rating over the last 10 games with veteran forwards Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Mathew Barzal having ratings of -10 or worse. That is something to note when looking at the Islanders vs Flyers preview.
The total went under in four of the last six games for the Islanders.
Flyers Trending In the Wrong Direction
Since taking the Carolina Hurricanes to overtime and handing the Boston Bruins a rare regulation loss at home, things have headed in the wrong direction for the Flyers.
Philadelphia has been held to one goal in three of its last four games during this losing streak. The Flyers are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. Keep that in mind when looking at the Islanders vs Flyers preview.
Joel Farabee, Noah Cates, and Sean Couturier have been held without a goal or an assist during the losing streak. Forwards Tyson Foerster and Owen Tippett are the only Flyers with more than one goal over the last four NHL games.
Four of Philadelphia’s last six games went under the total.
Last Meeting
Playing at home against the Flyers for the second time in less than a week, the Islanders failed to score on three power-play opportunities before losing in a shootout after neither team scored in regulation.
A look back at the NHL scores, Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak to the Islanders with the win. It was the fifth straight game between the Islanders and Flyers to go under the total. Six of the last nine meetings have been decided by one goal.
Islanders vs Flyers Betting Preview
The good news is that somebody has to win this game as both NHL teams need it.
The Islanders are 12-3 over the last 15 games against Philadelphia. However, they have lost four of their last five road games.
Five of the last six times that the Islanders played in Philadelphia, the game went under the total. The total is set at 5.5 goals for this game.
Will that trend continue with both teams missing some defensemen with Scott Mayfield out for the Islanders while Jamie Drysdale, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nick Seeler are out for the Flyers?
With the Islanders picking up one win in their last eight games against Eastern Conference teams, it is hard to have much confidence in New York winning this matchup even if the Flyers have dropped eight straight games against Metropolitan Division teams.
When looking at recent hockey scores, nine of New York’s last 13 games versus Metropolitan Division teams went over the total.
The home team had won six of the previous seven matchups before Philadelphia’s shootout win in the most recent game between the division rivals. The Islanders are tied for the most overtime losses in the NHL this season.
With the Flyers and the Islanders among the 10 teams in the NHL to allow at least 3.2 goals per game in March, this game could go over the total.
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