(Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers will take aim at their first three- game winning streak of the season when they return home to battle the New York Islanders in tonight's Atlantic Division battle at the Wells Fargo Center.
Peter Laviolette's Flyers are coming off consecutive wins for the first time this year and have also claimed victory in three of their last four contests.
Given its recent history against the Islanders, Philadelphia expects to keep its winning ways going this evening. The Flyers have dominated New York, winning 18 of the last 20 meetings overall and 10 straight in Philadelphia. Last year, Philly won five out of six against the Isles.
The Flyers were in action Friday night in Pittsburgh and were able to hold on for a 3-2 victory over the rival Penguins. Claude Giroux scored twice and rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stood tall with 26 saves. Laviolette could opt to go with Brian Boucher in tonight's game rather than start Bobrovsky on back-to-back days.
Daniel Carcillo scored the other goal for the Flyers last night. Giroux notched the first of his two goals while his club was a man down and he leads the NHL with three shorthanded tallies this season.
The Flyers are 3-3-0 in Philadelphia this season and are opening a three-game homestand tonight. They will also host Carolina on Monday before closing the set Thursday against the New York Rangers.
The Islanders enter tonight on a down note, having lost three straight games on the heels of a three-game winning streak. The last two setbacks for New York came in a home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs posted a 5-3 win in Montreal on Wednesday and completed the sweep Friday night on Long Island. Benoit Pouliot and Travis Moen each scored a third-period goal, lifting the Canadiens to a 3-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum.
Matt Martin netted his first NHL goal for the Islanders, who suffered their first regulation loss at home (2-1-1). Dwayne Roloson made 23 saves on 26 shots.
"I thought we played well," Roloson said. "We created a lot of turnovers and controlled most of the play in the offensive end. Alex (Auld) played a great game and gave those guys a chance to win."
Rick DiPietro is expected to get the start in net for the Islanders tonight. DiPietro, who is 2-1-2 on the year, has 18 career starts against the Flyers and is 7-11-0 with a 2.96 goals-against average in those outings.
Second-year star John Tavares has had success against Philadelphia in his brief career, notching six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in six games against the Flyers.
The Isles are 2-3-1 as the visiting team this year and have lost their last two road tests in regulation.