Emotion was in the air today in South Philadelphia. The aura at Wells Fargo Center seemed like that of a funeral with the departure of Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers yesterday, but the Flyers knew they had to trudge on and play.
Today, they picked up the pieces and earned themselves a hard-fought victory over the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center by a score of 2-1.
FIRST PERIOD
The game started out very uneventfully. Both clubs couldn’t generate much offense, only registering three combined shots on goal before the game’s first penalty at 4:23. Casey Cizikas was called for hooking against new Flyers acquisition Owen Tippett, and Philadelphia would get the game’s first power play. The Flyers had some good looks but could not capitalize against Ilya Sorokin and the Isles’ penalty kill.
Philadelphia would end up taking a penalty of their own at 5:56 and we’d play 4-on-4 after Joel Farabee slashed Scott Mayfield. The Flyers did a good job at limiting New York’s opportunities and did not allow a shot on the abbreviated Islanders power play.
Despite a low-event beginning to the period, the Islanders began to buzz and eventually found the back of the net with 7:10 to play in the opening frame. After a small scramble near the Flyers net, Patrick Brown tried to clear the puck from the zone, but it was intercepted at the point. Casey Cizikas wound up and blasted a slap shot that bounced off Brown and fooled Carter Hart, and the Islanders led 1-0.
The Flyers pushed back and had some quality chances, but Sorokin had his head in the game and after the first period, New York maintained their one-goal advantage. Philadelphia led in shots on goal 13-6, but the Islanders led where it mattered most on the scoreboard.
SECOND PERIOD
The Flyers needed a solid start to the second period to keep the momentum in their favor and keep the Islanders on their toes, and just 4:22 in, Kevin Hayes made it all worthwhile to tie the game.
Joel Farabee forced a turnover on Sebastian Aho by poking the puck away to an open Travis Konecny, who spotted Hayes low at the goal mouth for an easy tap-in to finish the mini-tic-tac-toe and tie the game at 1-1. It was Hayes’ sixth tally of the year and third goal in his last four games.
The Flyers kept their foot on the gas and kept pressuring the Islanders, and they’d be shorthanded for the second time this afternoon after captain Anders Lee high-sticked Morgan Frost at 7:47 to put the Flyers back on the power play. They displayed more crisp passing and created more scoring chances, but the Isles’ stingy defense on the penalty kill kept Philadelphia’s power play off the board again.
But when you keep poking the bear, eventually you’re going to wake him up and he’ll pounce on you, and that’s exactly what New York did when Kieffer Bellows was whistled for hooking against Hayes for a third Flyers power play. This time, they’d make no mistake and finally solve Sorokin with a man up.
It was the same three players involved on the first goal that were involved on the second, as after Owen Tippett fired a shot, Konecny tipped it in a growing net-front scramble, and in the scramble it was Farabee who fished it out and poked the puck to an open Hayes. The Dorchester, Massachusetts native made no mistake and deposited home another goal from a similar spot as the first one to put the Flyers on top 2-1 with 5:05 to play in the second period.
Philadelphia was able to keep the Islanders at bay as time wound down on the middle stanza and they led 2-1 after forty minutes. They still maintained their shots on goal lead at 26-19 as well, and they certainly played as the better team in the period and made it count on the scoreboard as well. They’d need a similar effort to make sure they could hold on in the third period.
THIRD PERIOD
The Islanders still couldn’t stay out of the box and Zdeno Chara headed to the sin bin just 2:39 into the third period after he was called for hooking against Zack MacEwen. Luckily for Chara, he didn’t cost his team another goal as the Islanders were able to kill off another dangerous looking Philadelphia man advantage.
It was certainly a more physical period as the Islanders were trying to establish themselves against the Flyers and they were fighting for every inch to try and tie the game. But the Flyers responded well, mainly from physical presences of their own like MacEwen and Rasmus Ristolainen to combat the Islanders.
As the minutes kept ticking away, the Islanders were still without a goal and were getting desperate, and Barry Trotz pulled Sorokin for the extra attacker with 2:14 to play in the period. New York had a few great opportunities, but Hart stood tall and his defense helped clear away plenty of loose pucks, mainly Travis Sanheim doing a great job of clearing the crease.
Eventually, time ran out and the Philadelphia Flyers were able to stave off the New York Islanders’ efforts and win their first game in the post-Claude Giroux era. Kevin Hayes’ two goals and Carter Hart’s 26 saves were all they needed to lift themselves over their divisional rivals in the Islanders.
3 STARS OF THE GAME – 1) Kevin Hayes – PHI, 2) Travis Konecny – PHI, 3) Ilya Sorokin – NYI
UP NEXT
The Flyers begin a three-game road trip on Tuesday when they head to Little Caesars Arena to take on the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30pm ET that night.
