5 Takeaways: Islanders Edge Flyers 1-0 in Overtime

Patience pays off.
After 60 minutes of scoreless regulation, the New York Islanders ultimately defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 at Wells Fargo Center 2:33 into overtime as Nick Leddy scored the game-winner.
Both sides received solid goaltending in the stalemate of a match between the East Division rivals as Ilya Sorokin stole the show with a 30-save shutout while Philadelphia netminder Brian Elliot posted a commendable performance with 23 saves on 24 shots to help his team manage at least a point.

"We weren't as sharp as we needed to be," Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "But at he end of the day, [we got] huge two points. Huge."
With the win, the Islanders return home from their three-game road trip on a winning note after dropping their first two matches against Boston.
The game was the season finale between the Islanders and Flyers, who required overtime in six of their eight contests this season. The Islanders bested the matchup with a 5-1-2 record and outscored them 17-13.
Here are five takeaways from the Islanders overtime win:

'FINDING A WAY' IN OT

While the Islanders admit it wasn't their best win of the season, they were able to build off their best period in the game - coming in the third - to dominate play in the overtime and ultimately, find a way to pick up the all important 'W.'
The Islanders spread the ice on the play leading up to the overtime goal. Leddy came off the bench - in place of Adam Pelech - as he collected a pass from Jean-Gabriel Pageau at Philadelphia's blueline. Jordan Eberle anticipated the play and sprung into the zone to give the Islanders a 2-on-1 rush.
Leddy led a pass to his streaking winger and, in a desperate effort, Philadelphia's blueliner Travis Sanheim, attempted to deflect the pass with his stick. In turn, the puck deviated off of Sanheim's stick and past Elliot.
"It was more of a fortuitous bounce if anything," Leddy said. "I was trying to get it over to [Eberle], I heard him yelling for it. I tried to get it over to him as quick as possible. It ended up [with] a nice lucky bounce through Elliott's legs."

GRITTY REGULATION

The first 40 minutes of play were not in favor of the Islanders, who were outshot 8-4 in the first period and 15-9 in the second period. The team's effort in the third period was significantly better - as they outshot Philadelphia 13-6 - and poised them for success heading into OT. The Islanders were without veteran forwards Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck, who are both day-to-day with undisclosed injuries, for the second-straight game and had to adjust to that.
The first period set the tone for the game, it was scoreless and relatively uneventful. Philadelphia capped it off with an 8-4 shot advantage as the Islanders didn't muster their first shot of the game until 10 minutes into the period, on a low-slot look from Dal Colle. It wasn't the Islanders' sharpest period, but Sorokin was solid.
"When they have shots, you can feel your achievement and you can feel your game," Sorokin said. "It helps you in the future - in the second period when there is hard shots. I feel okay."
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KINGER'S CALLS
Leddy's OT winner
The second period followed suit as both teams remained scoreless heading into the second intermission. Casey Cizikas took the first penalty of the game 1:36 into the game as he tripped Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov. As the penalty expired and Cizikas skated out of the box, he collected a pass from Anthony Beauvillier and the pair attacked in an odd-man rush. Cizikas held onto the puck and his shot trickled through Elliot's pads, but deflected off of the post.
The Flyers received an uptick of offense and tested the Islanders with 15 shots in the period, compared to the Islanders' 9. While the majority of Philadelphia's shots were from distance they were followed up netfront scrambles in which Sorokin was able to keep the initial and follow up chances at bay. In the final few minutes of the period, Pageau and Beauvillier attacked on a 2-on-1 rush. Beauvillier mishandled the puck when going for the backdoor tap-in, but still managed a shot which was denied by Elliot's left pad.
The third period was by far the Islanders best of the game.
The Islanders received two power plays, but went 0-for-2 and weren't able to generate much subsequent momentum off of them. The Flyers, on the other hand, generated promising looks on both kills. After killing off Kevin Hayes' hooking penalty at 1:57, the Flyers forward joined a rush and attempted a wraparound but was denied. On Wade Allison's holding penalty, at 7:09, Sorokin stopped a Sean Couturier shorthanded breakaway.
In the final 10 minutes of regulation, the Islanders generated some of their best looks of the game, but Elliot kept them at bay.
"We didn't really roll over," Ryan Pulock said. "We kept with it and found a way to get a little bit of our game back in the third and getting the win. We can take both from it, understanding where we have to be better and understanding that if we're not at our best, finding a way and sticking with it and I think that's the important part."

Video: NYI@PHI: Sorokin propels Isles with 30-save shutout

SOROKIN 'STOLE' THE GAME

There was no question - or hesitation from any of the players or Trotz when asked - that Sorokin stole the game for the Islanders. Even when faced with an onslaught of solid chances in the first and second period, the Russian rookie wasn't fazed and came through with the timely and momentous saves to keep his team in the game.
"We don't win that hockey game if he doesn't have that first period that he did," Trotz said. "We were slow out of the gates, we weren't sharp or committed to the battle and you need your goaltender to sometimes steal you a game. I thought he stole it in the first for us and gave us a chance to sort of right the ship, which in the second and third period we did. We righted the ship, we didn't get anything, but didn't give up much and we had that one shift in the second that we sort of got stuck in there, but we defended, we got a couple of saves, we spent a little too much time in our end, but at the end of the day they didn't get anything out of it. There's a difference between checking and defending and we were defending there. In the third period I thought we were fine, getting out legs and obviously in OT we were good, but we don't get that win without Ilya's first period."
In the first period, Sorokin denied Kevin Hayes in tight, in the second period he sprawled out to deny a point shot and a netfront scramble and in the third period, he held off a Couturier breakaway. With the win, the 25-year-old improved his record to 12-4-1 and earned his fifth win in five starts against Philadelphia.
Sorokin finished the season with a 5-0-1 record vs the Flyers, a 1.58 GAA, a .944 SV% and a shutout.

COBURN MAKES ISLANDERS DEBUT

Braydon Coburn made his debut for the Islanders after being acquired by the team in a trade on April 11, the night before the NHL Trade Deadline. Coburn replaced Noah Dobson in the lineup and logged 12:53, had one shot and had two blocks.
Coburn, who is a left shot, was paired alongside Andy Greene, who played the game on his off side.
"I thought he fit in really well," Trotz said. "Obviously he's had one practice with us and we threw him in the game. He played a very responsible game, there's no frills, exactly what you saw tonight was probably what Braydon brings, some size and length in the defensive end. Keeps the game pretty simple. In a lot of ways he's like Scott Mayfield, but left handed and I thought for his first game, he acquitted himself quite well."

STANDINGS INTENSIFY

The playoff implications only continue to rise as the number of regular season games dwindles. The race in the East Division has been tight all season long, but continues to bottle neck.
With top-seeded Washington (62 points) and second-seeded Pittsburgh (59) each losing their games today, it further emphasized the magnitude of the Islanders (60)' two points they earned on Sunday to overtake second place from Pittsburgh.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home to Nassau Coliseum for a three-game homestand as they host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.