Flyers hope for playoff survival as team faces Islanders Tuesday

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott (37) defends the goal as New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas (53) is in position for the rebound
Photo credit John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game Five is Tuesday night and it will be the first of three straight games the Flyers will need to win if they want to continue with their quest for the Stanley Cup. 

Defenseman Matt Niskanen was part of a Washington Capitals' squad which blew a 3-1 series lead against the Rangers, so he is well aware that a comeback is not out of the question.  

It starts with Game Five.

​"The beauty of the playoffs is it can flip quick," said Hayes. "I think we’re close to busting through. I believe in our group that we can do that. We've got to have something go right for us in Game Five and we can start flipping the series."

The Islanders have clearly been the better team in this series. 

They have been airtight defensively and have capitalized on their opportunities in the offensive end. While players such as Kevin Hayes are quick to praise their opponent, the Flyers' center believes he and his teammates must cut down on their mistakes in order to stay alive in the series.

"It's mistakes that we need to fix that end up in the back of our net," Hayes said. "They’re a great team, don’t get me wrong. They’re the reason that they are here. They got great players. I feel like a lot of goals that have ended up in the back of our net have been results of us shooting ourselves in the foot. Once we fix that, results should start to change."

The Flyers' top players have faced plenty of criticism for not finding the back of the net.  The forwards seemed to have more opportunities in Game Four but still could not finish enough to come out victorious. 

Forward Travis Konecny knows they have to finish their chances going forward or the series will be over.

"We have those same opportunities and they’re just not going in for us," said Konecny.  "Every time they seem to get a chance, it ends up in a good result for them. We’re playing the right way, we’re playing hard. It’s just those one or two mistakes.”

The prospect of beating the red-hot Islanders three straight times appears to be a difficult one. For the Flyers, it's one step at a time.

"We've got to get one game," Niskanen said. "If you get one game, the tide starts to turn and the pressure is flipped. Right now, it’s all about Game five for us. If we can get that one, hopefully we get the ball rolling in the right direction."