Rick Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers (3-3-1) will be at home Saturday afternoon to face Patrick Roy’s New York Islanders (4-3-0). The game marks the start of a five-game home series for the Flyers and the fifth game of a nine-of-ten game streak. The Flyers are 3-1-0 at home so far.
Game time at Xfinity Mobile Arena is 12:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP and 97.5 The Fanatic.
The Flyers come into this game coming off a 2-1 road loss to the Ottawa Senators. Tyson Foerster (3rd goal of the season) scored Philadelphia’s only goal. Dan Vladar stopped 31 of 33 shots in a losing cause.
Meanwhile, the Islanders have won back-to-back games. Roy’s club is coming off a resounding 7-2 victory at home against the Detroit Red Wings. Emil Heineman led the way with two goals while longtime Flyers foe Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist. On Saturday, the Flyers will have to deal with 18-year-old Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer. The first overall pick in the 2025 Draft already looks like a blossoming star on the New York blue line.
Saturday’s game is the Flyers’ first Metro Division game of the young season. The Flyers and Islanders will face off again on November 28 in Elmont, January 26 in Philadelphia and April 3 in Elmont.
Here are the things to watch for on the RAV4 on Saturday. All four relate to areas in which the Flyers showed progress in their 3-1-0 home game, but took a step back in Thursday’s loss at Ottawa.
1. Defensive structure.
Vladar’s play was the main reason the Flyers held the Senators to two goals on Thursday. Meanwhile, the opponent scored goals on a cross-court pass and a backdoor slam dunk while racking up 33 shots on goal.
To get back on track, the Flyers need to reestablish the kind of shot suppression they showed against Winnipeg, Minnesota and Seattle. Opponent shooting volumes were very low and, for the most part, limited to the perimeter.
2. Discipline.
During the first three games of the season, the Flyers had a problem with excessive penalties (15 minors). In two of the next three games, the Flyers showed much better discipline. However, on Thursday the previous problem returned. The Flyers found themselves shorthanded five times.
Additionally, every penalty the Flyers gave was a stick foul: a telltale sign that players weren’t keeping their feet moving consistently enough.
The Flyers’ penalty kill has been solid this season so far (86.2 percent). It’s positive. However, excessive PK time (even when it successfully prevents goals) has two negative consequences: 1) it takes non-PK personnel out of the flow of play and 2) it overloads the PKs with “tough minutes” that could exhaust them by crunch time in the third period.
3. Flyers power play.
The Flyers went 2 for 4 on the power play to hand Seattle its first regulation loss of the 2025-26 season. Heading into Thursday’s game against a short-handed Ottawa, the Flyers were looking to create some momentum with their power play.
Instead, the power play against Ottawa killed Philadelphia. It’s not just because the Flyers went 0-for-3, it’s because they squandered a long 4-for-3 chance in a one-goal game. Meanwhile, the team didn’t generate much pressure at 5v4.
Entering Saturday’s game, the Flyers are 28th in the NHL with 13.6 percent on the power play (3-for-22 plus one shorthanded goal). The Islanders are 5 for 25 (25 percent) so far. However, if the Flyers can win the special teams battle on Saturday, they have a good chance of coming out on top in the game.
4. Win key faceoffs.
Team faceoff percentages are calculated as cumulative statistics. The Flyers, overall, are one of the best faceoff clubs in the NHL. This is especially true when Sean Couturier or Christian Dvorak win the toss.
However, not all faceoffs are equal. A neutral zone faceoff, especially at center ice, means much less than a faceoff in the offensive zone or defensive zone. Meanwhile, special teams faceoffs often take on increased importance.
Against Ottawa, the Flyers did well on their shorthanded faceoffs, but lost or otherwise lost some of the most important draws of the game when they would have benefited from instant possession of the puck.
When looking at faceoffs, dig a little deeper than raw percentage and look at situational faceoffs and faceoff locations.
For example, Couturier’s 60 percent overall winning percentage on draws is impressive. However, to truly appreciate how strong he was on key faceoffs, these metrics are more important: 65.4 percent on defensive zone faceoffs and 54.8 percent on offensive zone faceoffs. He scored 41.9 percent on the lowest faceoffs (neutral zone).
Noah Cates is another good example. He has a 61.5 percent mark on shorthanded faceoffs, where post-draw possession is vital. Overall, he’s 59.5 percent in the defensive zone. On the other hand, Cates has the opportunity to improve his power play faceoffs (PP2 unit): 36.4 percent and his overall offensive zone winning percentage (45.8 percent).
