3 Takeaways: Isles Beat Flyers 4-3 in Marathon Shootout

The New York Islanders needed to mount a third period comeback - and nine rounds of a shootout - but they emerged with a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.
Oliver Wahlstrom was the only player to score in the nine-round shootout, but his tally propelled the Islanders to their second win in as many nights against the Flyers - a key result for their push up the standings.

Robin Salo, Josh Bailey and Casey Cizikas scored for the Islanders, while James van Riemsdyk, Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers. Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 shots in regulation, plus all nine attempts in the shootout, for the win, while Carter Hart stopped 28-of-31 shots in regulation, plus eight-of-nine in the shootout.

The Islanders entered the back-to-back set five points back of the Flyers in the standings and have narrowed the gap to two points after a regulation and a shootout win. With the win, the Islanders also improved to NHL .500 for the first time since Nov. 15. In the process, they extended the Flyers winless streak to nine games (0-6-3).
"Especially with this homestand we have, it's definitely big," Cizikas said of being back at .500. "It puts us in a good position right now to keep moving forward and to keep climbing the standings."
Here are three takeaways from a wild ride in Philly.

VARLAMOV STEALS NINE-ROUND SHOOTOUT:

There was plenty of tension in the building during a back-and-forth overtime, which saw odd-man rushes and grade-A chances at both ends of the ice.
Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier nearly buried wraparounds in the three-on-three session, while Mathew Barzal tried to feed Bailey on a two-on-one rush. Barzal also tracked back to break up an Ivan Provorov breakaway, while Varlamov was called upon to stone Joel Farabee in the final 30 seconds.
Blood pressures only elevated in the shootout, as Varlamov and Hart went save for save for eight rounds. It was tense, as Varlamov faced down the likes of Konecny, Giroux, Cam Atkinson, van Riemsdyk and Provorov to name a few, but the Isles netminder stayed aggressive, coming out and challenging, often forcing the Flyers to shoot wide.
"It's been a while since I was in this situation," Varlamov said. "Today was stressful, that was way too many shootouts, but I'm glad we won."
Eventually Wahlstrom put an end to it, snapping a wrister past Hart for the game-deciding goal.

The nine-rounder wasn't the longest shootout in team history - five rounds shy of the 14-rounder in Anaheim in 2016 - but it was certainly a memorable one.
"Varlamov was outstanding for us," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "Obviously both goaltenders were really good in the shootout."
It was also a cap to an eventful night for Varlamov, who more than earned his paycheck in OT and the shootout alone. The back half of the game also atoned for a Varlamov giveaway in the second period that led to Konecny's 2-2 goal at 13:54.
Varlamov did have a highlight save at the end of the second period, pulling a puck off the goal line with 50 seconds to play after a Rasmus Ristolainen shot snuck through his pads.
"Varlamov is one of those very likeable guys you have on your team, he's a true teammate and a professional," Trotz said. "I know he wanted that one back and our guys wanted to get it for him, so guys love to play for guys who are good teammates and good people and definitely he's one of them."
With the win, Varlamov is 3-1-0 in his last four games after starting the season 0-5-1.

ISLES BATTLE BACK TO FORCE OT:

The Islanders may have jumped out to an early lead against a struggling Flyers team, but found themselves on their heels for large stretches of Tuesday's contest.
Islanders 4, Flyers 3 SO
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KINGER'S CALLS
Salo's First Goal
Varlamov's Goal Line Save
Cizikas Ties It
Wahlstrom Wins It
The Islanders got out of the first period in a 1-1 tie thanks to a successful offside challenge on a Farabee tally midway through the first period. They got out of the second period tied 2-2 despite being outshot 14-7, thanks to some Varlamov robbery on the goal line and Bailey kicking an Anthony Beauvillier feed to his stick at 13:24.
Giroux putt the Flyers ahead 3-2 at the 4:05 mark of the third period for their first and only lead of the game, as the Flyers captain broke between Scott Mayfield and Zdeno Chara before snapping his 12th of the season up high past Varlamov.
On the Islanders side, they didn't record a shot on goal until the 10:25 mark of the period, but found a way to battle back, perhaps sparked - in Trotz's words - by Chara's fight with Zack MacEwen at the 8:32 mark.
Pressing late, Cizikas tied the score with 4:28 to play in the third period, scoring his second goal in as many games after going 24 games without a goal to start the year. Mayfield led a rush up the ice before throwing the puck into the middle where a crashing Cizikas deflected it past Hart to tie the score 3-3.
Cizikas' goal likely meant the Islanders would get at least one very important point, but credit to the group for finding a way to secure a second, ultimately taking three of four from a team they're chasing.
"Obviously, we've got to make up some games and they're going to be compressed," Trotz said. "It's a challenge, but I think this group is up for the challenge."

SALO SCORES FIRST GOAL:

Salo thought he scored his first goal on Monday night.
On Tuesday night, there was no doubt.
Salo stepped into a slapper at 2:08 of the first period, wiring it past Carter Hart for his first-career NHL tally.
"It's a really good feeling and obviously an even better feeling that we won the game," Salo said. "Just feels unbelievable that we won the game.
Salo now has points in back-to-back games after assisting on Cizikas' first of the season on Monday night. The Islanders 2017 second-round pick (46th overall) is having a successful first season in North America, first recording eight points (2G, 6A) in 14 games in Bridgeport before making his NHL debut on Nov. 20.
A sign in the coaching staff's confidence in the young defenseman was playing him with just over two minutes to play in the third period in a 3-3 tie. The Islanders were going for the kill on the power play.
Salo said he's just gaining more confidence as the season wears on.
"It feels good to play," Salo said. "It's a tough league. It took some time to get used to, but just trying to build confidence and try and play better."

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home for a back-to-back set against the Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs, starting on Friday night. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.