3 Takeaways: Islanders Fly Past Philadelphia 5-2

The third period New York Islanders struck again, scoring three goals in the final frame to break open a 2-2 tie and beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Saturday at UBS Arena.
Zach Parise (2 PPG), Brock Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier (1G, 1A) and Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders, while Joel Farabee and Lukas Sedlak (1G, 1A) scored for the Flyers. Ryan Pulock (4A) and Kevin Hayes (2A) also had multi-point nights.

The Islanders converted twice on the power play, and Semyon Varlamov made 25 saves in the win.
"We finished well," Head Coach Lane Lambert said. "There was a period in the second period where we weren't as sharp as we wanted to be. I thought they played pretty well in second period and I thought our goaltender was very good, but I really liked our start to the game. I thought overall, it was a good effort."

ISLES PULL AWAY WITH HOT THIRD PERIOD

Coming into the third period, the Islanders were being outshot 19-14, and the game was tied 2-2. But Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier scored two goals 22 seconds apart, building the lead to 4-2, and Zach Parise scored his second of the night to make it 5-2. Ryan Pulock assisted on all three goals.
Pulock started the rush chance early in the third and found Nelson across the ice, who wristed it past Felix Sandstrom. The same lines stayed out for the following shift, and Pulock jumped on a loose puck by the right circle and fed Beauvillier in the slot for the goal.
The Islanders have been one of the best third period teams in the NHL this season, outscoring their opponents 35-19 in the third. Their 35 third period goals lead the NHL and Saturday marked the fourth time they scored three goals in the third period.
"We've got a deep group of forwards," Parise said. "We can really come after you line after line and our defense are doing a good job getting involved too. I think that we can wear teams down when it comes to the third period."

RYAN PULOCK TALLIES FOUR-POINT NIGHT

ISLANDERS 5, FLYERS 2
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Full Highlights

KINGER'S CALLS
Pelech Opens the Scoring
Parise's PPG
Nelson's GWG
Beauvillier's Insurance Marker
Parise's Second PPG
Ryan Pulock earned four assists, three primary assists, and one secondary helper, on four straight Islander goals in the second and third periods. It was Pulock's second four-point game in his career, with the only other being a five-point night on Jan. 20, 2018 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Pulock's first point came in the waning minutes of the Islanders' first power play. Pulock jumped on a loose puck in the slot and fed Zach Parise down by the crease for the score to tie the game 2-2.
Pulock also played a critical role in the 22-second stretch that put the Islanders up by two early in the third. He created the zone entry and rush opportunity on Nelson's goal, and jumped on the loose puck before threading a pass ito the slot on Beauvillier's. Pulock also earned a secondary assist on Parise's second goal.
"Sometimes you get the puck to the right people, and they finish, but we had some good looks in that third period," Pulock said.
Pulock now has 11 points (1G, 10A) in 23 games this season, second only to Noah Dobson among Isles defensemen. Pulock also played a game-high 20:48.

ZACH PARISE POTS TWO ON THE POWER PLAY

Zach Parise tied the game in the second period with a goal at the crease on the power play and then scored his second power-play goal of the game on a bar down snipe in the third period. They were vastly different goals, with Parise tucking a backhand five-hole on Felix Sandstrom for his first and threading the needle short side on the second.
"He has the versatility, first of all he's on the power play, kills penalties, plays against other teams' top lines," Lambert said. "He's very versatile. There's no question about it. I give him full marks. I thought he was one of the catalysts tonight to get us going."
This was his first two-goal game of the season and his second multi-point game of the season, with his first coming Nov. 8 against the New York Rangers. This was the fourth time in Parise's career that he's scored two or more power-play goals in the same game, and his first time since Jan. 27, 2013, while a member of the Minnesota Wild. Parise now has 11 points (7G, 4A) in 23 games this season. The veteran forward needed 35 games to reach 11 points last season.
The Islanders' power play is on a hot streak, scoring eight goals in their last seven games, and went 2-for-3 on Saturday. Most of the recent streak has come from the top power play unit, and the second unit hadn't scored since Nov. 8 against the Rangers before scoring both goals against the Flyers.

NEXT GAME:

The two teams meet again on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center. With multiple fights and a scrum at the end, the matchup is sure to be an exciting one.