Preseason preview: New York Islanders take on division rival Philadelphia Flyers

The New York Islanders will face division rival Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Isles will be looking to turn the page following a disastrous end to their previous game against the New York Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Flyers will be looking to continue building momentum as they look to continue in the next step of their rebuild.

Fans should expect to see a mix of regulars and non-roster players suit up for this contest. Coach Patrick Roy has divided the team up into three groups A, B, and C, with the B group consisting almost exclusively of players who are unlikely to get a shot at making the team this season.

Group A headlined by captain Anders Lee could see action tonight. The group includes Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. Meanwhile, the B group consists of other key regulars such as Anthony Duclair, Bo Horvat, Noah Dobson, and Mathew Barzal.

Here’s a look at some key points leading up the Thursday night’s tilt.

Key points to consider ahead of the New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers preseason matchup

Mike Reilly back on the ice

Reilly has missed some time at practice due to an undisclosed injury. However, Roy stated the injury was not a concern, according to NHL.com. So, Isles fans could see Reilly lineup alongside Scott Mayfield against the Flyers.

Roy has stated that he wants to keep a close eye on this pairing throughout the rest of camp. It’s likely that Rielly and Mayfield will start the season as the team’s bottom pairing.

Roy impressed by prospects

Roy also expressed his satisfaction with the trio of Will Dufour, Frederik Karlstrom, and Liam Foudy. In particular, Roy felt the trio was “outstanding” in the Islanders’ first game against the New Jersey Devils.

So, there’s a fair chance the trio could see action against the Flyers. All three players have been assigned to the A group. While there’s an outside chance any of the three could make the team out of camp, they should be key players at Bridgeport.

The starting netminders

Jakub Skarek and Marcus Hogberg are the two netminders in the A group. While the pair played against the Devils, Roy may want to get a look at Keith Kinkaid. Kinkaid signed with the Isles on a PTO and could be a candidate to back up Semyon Varlamov.

As such, Roy may want to get Kinkaid some game action ahead of the next wave of roster cuts. In particular, Kinkaid should see action sooner rather than later following Henrik Tikkanen’s tough outing at Madison Square Garden a couple of nights ago.