The rebuilding process is starting to produce results for the Philadelphia Flyers even if virtually all of their games have been outside of the Metropolitan Division.
Seeking a sixth straight win, the Flyers play the second of eight straight games against division foes on Wednesday night when they visit the struggling New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.
The Flyers are 3-1-0 against divisional opponents through their first 18 games. Two of those wins have come on their first five-game winning streak since getting nine straight wins from Feb. 18-March 7, 2020 — right before the league paused for over four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Philadelphia won three overtime games but lost a seven-game series in the second round of the 2020 playoffs to the Islanders. Since then, the Flyers have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons and were not projected as a playoff contender in the second season under coach John Tortorella.
Since a 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on home ice on Nov. 4 and a 2-1 setback at San Jose three days later, the Flyers have scored 22 goals during their winning streak. They followed up a 4-3 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, marking the 10th time this season the Flyers scored at least four goals in a game.
Joel Farabee scored the first goal on Sunday before Bobby Brink added a power-play tally and Ryan Poehling scored a short-handed goal in the second period. The trio was reunited as linemates Sunday after Brink was a healthy scratch in three straight games, and they combined for six points.
"Just a couple weeks ago, we were struggling, found ways to lose games," Tortorella said. "Now we're finding ways to win games. In a long season, it's the ebbs and flows, it's how you handle those things. I'm happy for them."
Tortorella will be even happier if the Flyers continue playing well in a stretch that sees them host the Rangers, make a return visit to the Islanders and host Carolina and New Jersey next week. Philadelphia's divisional stretch ends with a home-and-home against Pittsburgh.
The Islanders are hoping to start getting some of the positive traction the Flyers are experiencing after snapping a seven-game losing streak (0-4-3) that featured a trio of three-goal losses in a row.
One of those three-goal defeats occurred in their last home game against Washington, where fans were chanting for coach Lane Lambert to be fired.
New York ended a four-game trip out West by getting a 5-4 win in Calgary on Saturday, when Oliver Wahlstrom scored the game-winner in the fourth round of a shootout. Bo Horvat also scored in the shootout while Hudson Fasching, Kyle Palmieri, Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson scored in regulation.
"We've been through a lot, not just in this tough stretch, but over the years this group's been challenged with a lot of different things," Islanders captain Anders Lee said.
The Islanders are 11-2-0 in their past 13 meetings with the Flyers.
—Field Level Media