Takeaways: Islanders Edge Flyers 3-1

The New York Islanders kept the winning energy going on Friday night, earning their third straight win with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Brock Nelson (1G, 1A), Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair scored for the Islanders, while Kyle Palmieri registered two assists. Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves on 30 shots in the win, while Ivan Fedotov turned aside 24 of 27 shots in the loss.

The three-game winning streak matched a season high and also marked the first time the Islanders strung three wins together on home ice this season, improving their record on the season-long, seven-game homestand to 3-2-0.

“We’ve talked about taking advantage of this stretch, so now it puts us back on the positive side for the week,” we’ve got a few more games on this homestand so let’s keep it rolling,” Nelson said.

The stakes were high entering the contest with important points on the line against a divisional opponent, but the Isles (47 points) took care of business and pulled within three points of the Flyers (50), while New York has three games in-hand.

The Islanders took the lead in the season series 2-1-0 and are also 10-2-1 against the Flyers on home ice dating back to March 2021.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Flyers broke open the scoring when Tyson Forster carried the puck from the neutral zone into the Islanders zone with speed and deposited a writer past Sorokin at 14:14, but Isles bit back with two quick goals to take the lead in the final three minutes of the first period.

The Islanders got the puck up ice fast, with Duclair buried a Nelson feed from the slot at 17:08. Under a minute later, Horvat and Barzal’s chemistry was on full display as Barzal carried the puck through the Flyers zone and sauced a pass to Horvat, who beat Fedotov at the 18:03 mark of the first period to take a 2-1 advantage.

The burst of offense was an impressive response and set the tone for the rest of the game.

“That was a big boost for us,” Nelson said. “When we went down [1-0], we talked about a response and came out of the first with a lead, which is part of a strong start in a 20-minute effort, and we stuck with it.”

Nelson grabbed his second point of the contest with a beauty of a wrister that cleanly beat Fedotov at 13:56 of the second period for a 3-1 lead. The Islanders were able to hold off the Flyers in the third period when they tested Sorokin with 16 shots.

“We kept our foot on the gas,” Horvat said. “We knew they were going to come, and they did in spurts, but we did a good job of maintaining it and we had a few good shifts in the o-zone to counter it.”

ISLES BRING THE HEAT IN WIN

The Islanders were fully committed in their 60-minute effort, bringing intensity and physicality to a divisional rival.

“They were going to play a physical game, and we had to match that,” said Head Coach Patrick Roy.

Alexander Romanov sparked the team when he leveled Cam York in the middle of the opening frame, setting the tone in a fierce and physical matchup. The defenseman finished the game with a team-high seven hits.

“It was a big hit,” Nelson said. “It was heavy, he’s a big boy and he lays the body so when he’s playing tough like that it’s a great sign for us and provides us with a lot of energy.

The Isles finished the night with 34 hits and recorded 111 hits over the span of their last three games. Another standout stat is the blocked shot total 19-11 favoring the Islanders, against a team that ranks first in the NHL in blocked shots.

“It was a solid team effort, when you see your captain blocking shots like he did at the end of the third period, it shows how our team is right now,” said Roy.

LINEUP NOTES

Max Tsyplakov served the final game of his three-game suspension. In Noah Dobson’s absence, Romanov played with Scott Mayfield while Dennis Cholowski and Isaiah George skated on a pair.

ODDS AND ENDS

• The Islanders allowed the opening goal for the 30^th time of the season.
• Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat each extended their point streaks on Friday night to four games. Horvat has six points (4G, 2A) in his last four outings, while Barzal also has six points (2G, 4A) over that span. Horvat’s goal Friday night was his 17^th of the season.
• Anthony Duclair netted his 150^th goal of his career.
• Adam Pelech recorded a three-game assist streak (3A) for the first time since Jan. 17 – 21, 2022.
• The Islanders have won six of their last eight games overall.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Ryan Pulock on the team’s three-game winning streak on home ice:

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence. Guys are making plays and blocking shots and playing good defense. That’s what you need, you need to build that here at home. We need to keep yielding that.”

NEXT GAME

The Islanders are back in action on Saturday night to wrap a back-to-back set when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.