Flyers vs. Isles, Game 52: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Goaltender Carter Hart doesn’t think the All-Star break will stop the Philadelphia Flyers’ momentum.

They were on a 10-4-2 run before the break, including Hart’s 4-0, 40-save win in Winnipeg in their last game on Jan. 28.

Hart said the break was needed.

“I think it was great timing,” Hart said. “We played a lot of hockey in January and December, so it was really great to kind of recharge the batteries and come back refreshed.”

Hart, 24, went back home to the freezing Edmonton area during the break, and hung out with family and friends. To relax, he played golf on an indoor simulator with his dad, his best friend, and his best friend’s dad.

“We always golf in the summer every Saturday — me and my friend, Nolan, against our dads — but it’s too cold for that now,” Hart said.

Hart and the Flyers will resume their schedule Monday night as they host the New York Islanders. It will be the Isles’ first game with high-scoring center Bo Horvat, who was acquired from Vancouver last week.

Horvat, who has 31 goals, is Travis Konecny’s second cousin, and they are extremely close.

“It’s fun,” said Konecny, who leads the Flyers with 24 goals and 49 points. “It’s a little different (now). He’s always been in the West, so I’ll probably play him a little more now. It’ll be pretty cool.”

Just to prove yesterday wasn’t a hologram of Horvat: pic.twitter.com/w87K76rv36

— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) February 6, 2023

Konecny will be trying to snap a nine-game goal-less streak. The Flyers will be trying to climb closer in the playoff race. They are six points out of the final wildcard spot with 31 games left.

“We’ve kind of clawed ourselves into being back into the mix for a playoff spot,” Hart said.

Flyers’ expected lineup

JVR-Cates-Konecny

Hayes-Laughton-Tippett

Farabee-Frost-Allison

Deslauriers-Brown-Bellows

Defense

Provorov-York

Sanheim-DeAngelo

Seeler-Ristolainen

Goalie

Hart (15-14-8, 2.88 GAA, .911 SP)

Islanders’ expected lineup

Bailey-Horvat-Barzal

Lee-Nelson-Palmieri

Parise-Pageau-Holmstrom

Martin-Cizikas-Fasching

Defense

Pelech-Pulock

Romanov-Mayfield

Aho-Dobson

Goalie

Varlamov (9-6-1, 2.67, .918)

Breakaways

The teams have split their two matchups this season, with each winning on home ice. … Philadelphia Flyers center Noah Cates has three goals over his last five games, and has scored in each of his last two contests. … The Isles’ Andres Lee has 19 goals, including four tallies in his last four games. … All-star center Brock Nelson has four goals over his last six games for New York. … Both teams have struggled on the power play — the Flyers are 29th (16 percent success rate) and the Islanders are last in the 32-team league (15.5 percent). … New York’s PK (83 percent, fourth) is much more effective than the Flyers’ (77.3 percent, 18th). … The Isles are No. 8 in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.71), while the Flyers are 18th (3.16). … Parise has 47 points, including 25 goals, in 54 career games against the Flyers. … In franchise history, the Flyers are 144-99-44 vs. the Islanders.

How to watch and listen

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia at 7 p.m. Radio: 97.5.

How to bet

FanDuel moneyline: Isles are minus-128, Flyers are plus-106.

Pick: Isles, 3-2, in overtime.

PHN: For Flyers, Time to ‘Make a Push’ as They Resume Play