Roloson in net, Schremp and Carcillo roommates, Gillies makes Isles debut
Dating back to the 2007-2008 season, The Flyers have won 13 straight against the Islanders, the longest active winning streak in the NHL versus another opponent.
When asked after their last loss against Philly, Scott Gordon said the common denominator was size.
The Islanders will add some size and toughness to their lineup today as Trevor Gillies makes his Islanders debut on his 31st birthday.
"Trevor is a proven tough guy," said Rob Schremp, who is familiar with the 6-3 enforcer from his AHL days. "He's legit and that's comforting."
"Especially with John practically losing his face last time we were here, guys will think twice about going after one of our high-end guys."
Schremp is talking about Chris Pronger's nasty hit that left No. 1 overall pick John Tavares with a broken front tooth.
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I talked to Dan Carcillo about what it means to him and his Flyers team that the Islanders were willing to bring up an enforcer, an option they have seldom exercised this season.
"I find it kind of weird when teams call up tough guys from the minors. If you leave them alone and don't drop you're gloves against them, what are they going to do?" Carcillo said. "We're the Philadelphia Flyers and we're known as a tough organization, but I find that interesting. It actually kind of makes me laugh."
Carcillo said Gillies' presence in the lineup won't dictate any adjustments from Philadelphia's side.
"There won't be any change," Carcillo said. "It's going to be tough for him to take us off our game."
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Funny fact about Carcillo and Schremp? They used to be roommates when they both played in Wilkes-Barre. The team was half Edmonton guys and half Flyers guys, so after a month or two the team advised them to split up.
They remain friendly, though, and even got lunch while the Flyers came to NY earlier this season.
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With his 20th goal of the season, Matt Moulson became the first Islander to reach the plateau since 2007-08.
Last season was the first time in Islanders history the team didn't have a 20-goal scorer.
"When I was trying to break in I always said I wanted to play in the NHL and score 20 goals," Moulson said.
Even though he has now reached those goals and shown that he's no fluke, Moulson is still aware that he may still have some doubters.
"I'm sure there are still lots of people who I haven't proved that to yet, but it's not just about proving them wrong, it's also about proving it to myself."
And when it comes to his own confidence, Moulson said he always believed he could attain this success. He even told LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi, "I'll score 20 goals if you just give me the chance."
"I always knew I could do this if I was given the chance," Moulson said.
The significance of his contributions are not lost on Moulson, who said his goals now are to score as many goals as possible and win a Stanley Cup.
"I try to do whatever I can to help the team and if it's scoring goals, that's what I love to do," Moulson said.
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Dwayne Roloson in net. Scott Gordon said he will make the lineup decision (who is coming out for Gillies) after pre-game warm-up.
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