Postgame 5: Oskar Strong

Coming off a 9-0 humiliation, the Philadelphia Flyers needed a win by any means against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday. The Flyers played very well for 50 minutes, then sagged as New York battled back from a 3-0 deficit before pulling out a 4-3 win in regulation.
Two goals by Oskar Lindblom, including the game-winner with 2:22 left, led the way in a dominant effort by his line with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny.
After a scoreless first period, the Flyers broke loose for three goals in the second period. Oskar Lindblom (3rd goal of the season, first since the second game of the regular season) broke the deadlock early in the second period. Linemate Claude Giroux (7th) extended the lead to 2-0 before Jakub Voracek (5th) scored off the rush.
The Flyers were unable to close the game out. In the third period. Michael Dal Colle (1st) cut the gap to 3-1. Sebastian Aho made it 3-2 at 13:53 and then Oliver Wahlstrom (7th) tied the game at 14:27.
Carter Hart stopped 22 of 25 shots to earn the win. Semyon Varlamov (27 saves on 31 shots took the loss).
Philadelphia went 0-for-3 on the power play. They were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Lindblom, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Carsen Twarynski rejoined the Flyers lineup up front. Michael Raffl (maintenance day for a sore hand), Connor Bunnaman and Andy Andreoff exited the lineup. Additionally, with Robert Hägg placed on injured reserve earlier in the day, Nate Prosser rejoined the starting lineup. Alex Lyon backed up Hart in net.

TURNING POINTS
The tone for the Flyers' three-goal outburst in the middle period was set early by the Claude Giroux line. Lindblom's goal was as badly needed for the player himself as it was for the entire team and it gave Philadelphia a huge lift.

Later, after the Flyers saw a 3-0 lead slip away in the third period, Lindblom struck again to restore a Flyers' lead with 2:22 left in regulation. Giroux won the draw, Lindblom started a cycle and then finished it off with a goal off a Konecny pass with Giroux screening.

MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The Flyers played a generally solid first period from a defensive standpoint. Phil Myers, coming off a nightmarish minus-six night against the Rangers on Thursday, made a couple of good plays on the walls and used his mobility well. Hart made an important late first period save on Anthony Beauvillier and the Flyers also killed off a Nicolas Aube-Kubel roughing penalty successfully (continuing a 12-for-14 stretch on the PK).
2) Offensively, the Flyers had nine shots in the first period to eight for the Islanders. Philly was unable to make New York pay for Mathew Barzal's high-sticking double-minor,. The Flyers were only charged with one giveaway (Myers) to five for the Islanders. Scoring chances were 5-2 in the Flyers' favor (2-1 high danger chance edge for Philly).
3) Tenacious forechecking and persistence paid off as Lindblom potted a Travis Konecny rebound for a 1-0 lead at 2:26 of the second period. The line of Lindblom, Giroux and Konecny had another strong forechecking shift their next shift, and the other Flyers' lines followed suit. The Flyers came up empty on their third power play of the game, but then Lindblom won a battle on the way, Konecny got the puck to Prosser and the point and Giroux tipped it home for a 2-0 lead at 10:04.

The lead grew to 3- 0 at 14:01 as Voracek blasted home a one-timer off the rush teed by Kevin Hayes. Scott Laughton got the secondary assist. Justin Braun didn't get a point but helped open up the ice by driving the net.

4) The Flyers were the hungrier, more tenacious team in the second period, with strong puck pursuit , sticks on pucks, good gaps and consistent puck support: all things that were absent on Wednesday night. Philly racked up a 12-5 shot edge in the middle frame. Hart's toughest save was one on Josh Bailey from the medium slot. The Islanders made a mini-push late in the period but the Flyers withstood it. Through 40 minutes, the Flyers had a teamwide all-situations 66.7 percent Corsi, 15-8 overall scoring chance edge and 8-1 high danger chance advantage.
5) The Islanders attacked more aggressively in the third period, as is typical when a team is chasing the game at that stage. The Flyers defended well early. Hart let in a stoppable goal on Dal Colle's tally from the top of the left circle at 7:53. The assists went to Nick Leddy and Bailey.
With 8:32 left in regulation, Nolan Patrick was called for high-sticking. The Flyers got through it with strong PK work by a tiring Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes. However, with 6:02 left, Aho beat Hart with a goal from the right circle high to the short (glove) side. The puck partially tipped of Travis Sanheim's stick on its way to the net. Thirty-four seconds later, a wide-open Walhstrom tied the game at 3-3 from near the left post after a deflected pass went right to him.