Islanders vs. Flyers Preview: Palmeri and Zajac in lineup after trade

This is the seventh meeting between the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers in this shortened season. Of those seven games, four have needed extra time to solve.

In fact, only one of those seven games wasn’t decided by a single goal. That was the Isles 6-1 win on March 20. That win stopped the bleeding flowing back-to-back losses when the sky was falling after the Isles nine-game winning streak.

Last seven games between Islanders and Flyers:

• 3-2 OTL
• 4-3 OTL
• 4-3 L
• 6-1 W
• 2-1 OTW
• 3-2 OTW (SO)

The Isles will get two boosts tonight. They’ll have the roar of the home crowd and the excitement of having two new players in the lineup.

New York Islanders potential lineup

Just about every Islanders fan I’ve spoken to is wondering one thing. Where do these two new players line up? How will Barry incorporate both Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac into the squad without disrupting the team’s stability?

No one knows for sure yet how things will go for tonight’s lineup, but Barry Trotz may have given a hint as to what he might do for tonight’s game against the Flyers:

That makes me think Palmieri will play on the top line to form an all righty unit with Barzal and Eberle. Which is perfectly fine by me. So here’s how I think it all shakes out for the Isles:

Palmieri-Barzal-Eberle
Beauvillier-Nelson-Bailey
Zajac-Pageau-Wahlstrom
Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck

Pelech-Pulock
Leddy-Mayfield
Greene-Dobson

Sorokin (Varlamov)

With that lineup, as well as the Isles play of late (and that they are the home team), they enter the game as the heavy favorites. The money line at the time of writing is -170 for an Isles win and +152 for a Flyers win.

It’s a big night for the Islanders tonight. Their GM just signaled that the team is going for it with that trade. Now they have to go and do it. Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Flyers, they’re the first in line.