Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders Pick & Prediction JANUARY 24th 2025

Preview and Prediction

The New York Islanders were able to savor three days off after one of their most impressive victories of the season.

They will need a little over 24 hours to determine if the win was a glimpse of things to come or just another false start.

The Islanders will kick off a crucial two-game stretch on Friday night as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in Elmont, N.Y.

New York has not played since Monday, when they scored three goals early in the second period to secure a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flyers will be completing a back-to-back set in the Big Apple area after suffering a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Bo Horvat netted two goals on Monday night for the Islanders, who kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a second consecutive win. They currently trail the Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots, by eight points.

Consecutive matches this weekend against two contenders will provide the Islanders with an opportunity to gain some momentum and determine if they have what it takes to make a postseason push. New York has only managed to win more than two consecutive games once this season, during a three-game winning streak earlier this month.

After facing the Flyers, the Islanders will welcome the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night. They will have to face their division rivals without defenseman Noah Dobson, who is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained in the third period against Columbus.

"It's crunch time, I guess," said Islanders center Mathew Barzal, who assisted on both of Horvat's goals. "It should be there every game, but it's just one of those desperate times of the year where we've got to win."

The Flyers may have felt a sense of urgency increase on Thursday night, when Owen Tippett scored just 1:25 into the first period before the Rangers went on to score six unanswered goals. The defeat marked Philadelphia's most lopsided loss since a 9-3 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on April 9.

The Thursday loss ended a six-game point streak (5-0-1) for the Flyers, who had previously struggled with a 5-10-2 record from December 5th through January 9th. The Flyers missed a chance to close the gap between themselves and the Lightning and Blue Jackets with this latest defeat, leaving them two points behind the Rangers, Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators.

"We play (Friday) night, so we're going to forget about it, move on, and get ready for the Islanders," said Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim, who finished the game with a minus-3 rating. "It's going to be another big game for us to try and get two points. These are important games for us. We just have to move on and get ready for (Friday)."

This Friday night match is the second of three games between the Islanders and Flyers in a two-week span. Philadelphia earned a 5-3 victory in Elmont on January 16th and will host New York on January 30th.

PREDICTION

Philadelphia Flyers

2

4

New York Islanders

Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders Recap NOV 25TH 2023