Recap: Islanders 4, Flyers 3 OT

Josh Bailey's OT winner delivered the New York Islanders two points Wednesday night in a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at Barclays Center.
Bailey, who had a team-high three points (1G, 2A), knocked his own rebound past Brian Elliott 32 seconds into the extra frame, ensuring that a terrific effort from John Tavares would not go wasted. The Islanders captain twisted and turned and used a nifty one-handed play to beat Sean Couturier one-on-one along the wall, before feeding Bailey in front of the net.

"That's all him," Bailey said of Tavares' setup. "He's earned that respect where you don't need to go in there and help him right away. You can wait for your opening and know he's going to find you."

With the win, the Islanders (12-7-2) continued a few positive trends that have defined the first quarter of the season. The Isles improved to 7-0-2 at Barclays Center; they are the last team without a home regulation loss this season. Wednesday's win also preserved the Islanders' resilient streak of not going two games without a point, as they rebounded from Sunday's loss to Carolina for their fourth win in five games. That the victory came at the expense of a division rival like the Flyers - who are winless in six straight - was just the gravy on Thanksgiving eve.

"We want to be elite and we believe in our team," Head Coach Doug Weight said. "I'm relatively happy and excited with the way we're going."

The Flyers led 1-0 and 2-1 on Wednesday night, but the Islanders used their power play twice to even the score. Mathew Barzal snapped his fifth of the season through an Anders Lee screen to make it 1-1 at 18:53 of the first. Boychuk took some heat off his 100 mph slap shot, one-timing a Bailey pass top corner to make it 2-2 on a five-on-three at 7:13 of the second period.

The Islanders power play finished the night 2-for-5 and now has goals in four straight games. Since Oct. 28 (11 games), the Islanders power play has scored a league-high 14 goals, a stark turnaround from the squad that started the year 2-for-33 and was 31st in the league.

"We know where each other are going to be," Barzal said of the difference between then and now. "We have our set plays. It just makes it easier when everyone is on the same page."

Josh Ho-Sang put the Islanders ahead 3-2 with a redirection at 11:05 of the second period, but Jakub Voracek's power-play goal tied the score 3-3 at 13:54. That's where the game stood until overtime, thanks in part to a clutch penalty kill in the last 5:30 of the third period. Thomas Greiss made four of his 35 saves on the late PK and had a big pad stop on Couturier early to kick the puck off the goal line, earning his fourth straight win. Elliott made 35 saves in the loss.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Flyers finish their home-and-home set on Friday afternoon in Philadelphia. Puck drop is at 4 p.m.

NOTES AND NUMBERS:

Cal Clutterbuck returned to the lineup after missing two games with an illness… Bailey took the team lead in points with 26… Nick Leddy (2A) now has 16 points (5G, 11A) in his last 12 games… Scott Mayfield and Dennis Seidenberg returned to the lineup after missing three games as healthy scratches, replacing Thomas Hickey and Ryan Pulock.

POSTGAME VIDEO:

DOUG WEIGHT:
Video: NYI 4, PHI 3 OT: Doug Weight
JOSH BAILEY:

MATHEW BARZAL:
Video: NYI 4, PHI 3 OT: Mathew Barzal