POSTGAME 5: Flyers End Skid with 3-1 Win over Isles
The Philadelphia Flyers put an end to a 10-game winless streak with a 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders at the Well Fargo Center on Tuesday evening
Philly earned a 33-24 shot on goal advantage in the game. It was structured, hard-working effort up and down the lineup and the Flyers received rock solid goaltending when they needed it. Kevin Hayes (5-on-5 and empty net goals) and Lukas Sedlak (two assists, three shots on goal, 8-for-14 on faceoffs) led the way offensively.
The Flyers led 2-1 after the first period. A Noah Dobson power play goal (7th) on a 5-on-3 power play was answered by a Travis Sanheim shorthanded goal (2nd) during the remaining 5-on-4 time. At 9:45, Hayes tallied (7th) directly off a Sedlak faceoff win. It was Sedlak's second assist of the period.
The second period was scoreless. So was the third period until Hayes nailed down the win into an empty net in the final minute with his second goal (8th) of the game.
Carter Hart earned the win, stopping 23 of 24 shots. Ilya Sorokin received the hard-luck loss despite 30 saves on 32 shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Islanders were 1-for-4 with a shorthanded goal allowed.
Scott Laughton (3 shots on goal, 7-for-12 on faceoffs, 18:08 TOI) made his return to the Flyers' lineup from an upper-body injury a little ahead of schedule. Tony DeAngelo (lower body) missed his first game of the season. Ivan Provorov (24:50 TOI, two hits, three blocked shots, 10th assist of the season, 4 charged giveaways) and Rasmus Ristolainen (20:22 TOI, five credited hits, three blocks, two shots on goal in five attempts) dressed as the top pairing on defense in DeAngelo's absence.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
86 Joel Farabee - 23 Lukas Sedlak - 13 Kevin Hayes
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 20 Kieffer Bellows
21 Scott Laughton - 49 Noah Cates - 17 Zack MacEwen
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 71 Max Willman
9 Ivan Provorov - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun
54 Egor Zamula - 24 Nick Seeler
79 Carter Hart
[32 Felix Sandström]
TURNING POINT
The Sanheim shorthanded goal was a huge boost for the Flyers. After the two early fights and emotions running high early, Bellows took a needless (although marginal) slashing penalty. It soon became a lengthy two-man advantage for the Isles. When the Islanders cashed in, the Flyers were in a dangerous spot. Sanheim's shorthanded goal was both a stabilizer and a momentum creator.
The Flyers played a strong game structurally throughout most of the game. The puck support and the forecheck were strong both in the neutral and offensive zones. Moreover, the Flyers put together a strong third period to close it out.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) In a carryover from Saturday's game. MacEwen and Matt Martin dropped the gloves seven seconds after the opening faceoff. Right off the drop of the next faceoff, Deslauriers fought Ross Johnston
At the 32-second mark, the returning Laughton had a rebound opportunity in close. Att the other end of the ice, Lukas Sedlak blocked a shot.
The Islanders got the game's first power play at 2:10 when Bellows was called on a ticky-tack slashing penalty in the New York zone. Hart came up with a good save on an Anders Lee deflection. Hart made a save on Brock Nelson. The Islanders received a 5-on-3 for 1:23 as Ristolainen was called for interference in front of the net.
New York cashed in on the 5-on-3 at 3:12. They rotated the puck, and Dobson hammered home a shot (possibly through a partial screen by Sanheim). The assists went to Mathew Barzal and Nelson.
Late in the remaining 5-on-4, the Flyers struck back for a shorthanded goal to tie the game. Provorov started a counterattack with a pass behind the Flyers net with a backhanded pass to Laughton. Laughton passed ahead to Sedlak as the Flyers gained the zone and attacked. From the right side, Cates put the puck toward the net with Sanheim charging in. The play appeared to be broken up but the puck went right to Sanheim in the slot and he chipped it home at 4:37. The assists went to Cates and Sedlak.
Hart made two point-blank saves in succession on Lee and Casey Cizikas to keep the game tied at 1-1. At the other end of the ice, Bellow nearly snuck a shot past Sorokin to the short-side.
At 9:40, Laughton fired the puck at the net from a severe angle and MacEwen put a shot on net. Sorokin held for a stoppage On a second effort play, Sedlak won the ensuing faceoff and Hayes snapped a rising shot top shelf to the long side from near the hash marks at 9:45. Sedlak had the lone assist.
Frost made a strong defensive play for a takeaway and received a high-stick to the face for his troubles from Oliver Wahlstrom (although it was called hooking). The Flyers went to the power play at 11:21. The Kevin Hayes PP unit generated a lot of pressure and puck movement, but only one shot on goal.
There was a mini-scrum at the end of the first period Pelech and Sedlak were called for roughing to set up two minutes of 4-on-4 time to start the second period.
2) The Sanheim shorthanded goal produced a wave of momentum for the Flyers. Philly was first on more pucks than New York, played pretty airtight defense, and started to test Sorokin. First period shots on goal were 12-9 Flyers.Shot attempts across all manpower situations ended up 20-17 in the Flyers' favor after the Isles had the early edge. Scoring chances were 11-8 Flyers (6-2 high-danger edge for Philly). Most importantly, they took a 2-1 lead to intermission after things initially seemed in danger of going off the rails with the 5-on-3 disadvantage and the Dobson goal.
3) During the carryover 4-on-4, Kayes came very close to scoring one-on-one against Sorokin. A line of Bellow and Willman flanking Laczynski produced a flurry around the New York net after 5-on-5 play resumed.
About five minutes into the second period, the Islanders generated their first extended pressuring shift of the period. The momentum carried over into the Islanders generating each of the next six shots on goals.
The Islanders went to the power play at 8:37. Willman was called for hooking Ryan Pulock up-ice. Lee rang a shot off the post. Hart made a good save on a wicked Wahlstrom wrist shot with about 25 seconds left on the Willman penalty, With 10 seconds left on the kill, Hart stopped an Anthony Beauvillier shot from the left circle.
Play settled back into tight-checking mode at both ends of the ice. At 13;26, Ristolainen worked a give-and-go with Sedlak. Sedlak fired a shot on net from the left circle. Sorokin held for a stoppage.
With time ticking below five minutes, the Isles made a second push. Hart made a nice positional save on Barzal. Provorov turned the puck over with an opportunity to get it out of the zone. Lee missed the net from the slot. Finally, Hart stopped a routine shot from the side boards above the left circle from Beauvillier.
Frost made a nifty outside-inside move over the middle against Pulock and fired a shot on net. Sorokin made the save. Two shifts later, a 2-on-1 opportunity for Bellows and Willman didn't make connections. The Flyers kept the puck and Bellows was stopped on a shot aimed for the short side. A shift after that, Cates was stopped on an attempt from the deep center slot.
With 33.8 seconds left in the second period, Pelech was called for interference on Frost in front of the net just as Deslauriers was unable to finish off a chance from the near slot. On the power play, Sedlak was stopped on a Grade A opportunity. Scott Mayfield was stung in coming up with a block on a Provorov attempt from center slot. The Flyers took 1:26 of carryover power play time into the second period.
4) The second period was one of mini-runs of momentum for each team, interspersed with segments where neither team had a clear edge. Shots on goal were 9-8 Flyers. Shot attempts across all game situations were 18-15 Islanders. Scoring chances were 7-6 Isles but high-danger chances were even at 3-3.
5) Provorov was stopped on a point shot through a Cates screen. The Hayes PP unit maintained possession. Hayes missed a one-timer. The penalty expired. A Hayes deflection attempt hit the netting. Two shifts later, Bellows hit the post.
At 3:47, Hart denied a Barzal one-timer. Sedlak won the ensuing faceoff. At the other end of the ice, Sorokin made a 10-bell save on Sedlak off a Laughton rebound. Frost won the next faceoff against J-G Pageau cleanly to TIppett, who fired a heavy shot on net. The Flyers had a 12-3 shot attempt edge in the third period up to that point.
Hart made a very tough save and got two blocks in front of him by Seler and by Zamula as Beauvillier and the Islanders came within a hair of tying the game.The sequence started with a Barzal takeaway (uncredited). Shots on goal in the period were 6-3 Flyers through 7:10.
At around the 9:00 mark, Farabee collected an Islanders turnover but his shot was blocked. At the other end of the ice, Ristolainen blocked a Dobson shot.
The Islanders did some line juggling as the third period progressed.With 8:49 left on the clock, MacEwen attempted to set up a screen on a Provorov shot but Sorokin tracked it and made the save.
Provorov killed an Islanders rush attempt with good stick and body positioning. The Flyers got some possession time at the other end. With 6:18 left on the clock, shots in the third period were 9-3 Flyers.
At 14:13, Tippett was called for high-sticking Lee in the defensive zone. After the Islanders won the first faceoff, Nelson hammered a one-timer wide of the net. The Flyers failed on a clearing opportunity. Nelson was stopped from the circle. Ristolainen blocked a shot. Hart caught a Wahlstrom blast targeted high to the long side. The penalty expired with the Isles getting two shots.
Holmstrom whiffed on a puck in the slot. Martin took an extra chop at Hart after the next whistle. Ristolainen retailated with a slash. No penalties were called. The Flyers iced the puck. Mayfield narrowly missed the net after a Flyers turnover.
Sorokin was pulled with two minutes left. A Hayes attempt at the empty net was blocked. The Islanders took an icing with 1:20 remaining. Laugton canceled out a Braun icing. Finally, with 33.2 seconds left, the Flyers iced the win. Provorov made a defensive stop and passed to Hayes. From the red line, Hayes fired the puck into the empty net.
