Flyers’ Season Ends After Falling to Islanders in Game Seven

Islanders Dominate Flyers in Game Seven and send Philadelphia Home Packing

The Philadelphia Flyers met the New York Islanders for the series deciding Game Seven at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.  The Flyers were able to extend the life of the Toronto bubble by staving off elimination twice with consecutive overtime victories, and hoped to close out New York and book their place in Edmonton.

Game Seven saw the return of Sean Couturier, replacing Derek Grant  in the lineup.  Couturier started on a line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.   Couturier and Voracek combined to test the Islanders in the first minute with a great deflection chance that glanced off the post.

The Islanders made changes of their own with the return of goaltender Thomas Greiss in place of the beleaguered Semyon Varlamov.  The Islanders also chose to use Michael Dal Colle on the wing in place of Leo Karmarov.

After Couturier’s strong first shift the Flyers continued to dominate play in the first period until the 9:32 mark when Scott Mayfield, a tough luck player in Game Six, drew first blood getting a feed from Toews and Eberle.  After a partial change by the Flyers, that left a tired Ivan Provorov paired with Phil Myers, the Islanders were able to cycle the puck until it came to Mayfield at the right point.

Mayfield then walked the puck down to the faceoff circle where he fired a wrist shot towards the goal.  The puck rocketed just inside the far post under the crossbar.

The Islanders seized the momentum and would double their lead on a finish by Andy Greene that was brilliantly created by a patient Derick Brassard.  After an Islander dump and retrieval, Brassard was able to walk the puck down into the right corner below the circle.  Brassard handled the puck, then sent a pass cross ice through the slot, and the Flyers’ defense, to a wide-open Greene.

Greene calmly wristed the shot into a vacant net.  Carter Hart had gone down as Brassard released the puck, either losing sight of the puck or perhaps anticipating a shot.  Hart was not able to close the distance to get Greene’s effort.

Hart seemed to be affected by Greene’s goal.  He fumbled the puck from behind his net leading to a net front scramble before it was cleared away by Robert Hagg.  The Flyers would continue to struggle for the remainder of the period, killing a Travis Sanheim interference penalty and half of Jake Voracek high stick minor.

The third period started with the Flyers killing the remainder of the Voracek penalty.  Leaning on shot blocks, the Flyers were able to kill the penalty with out too much danger, but would find themselves shorthanded again after having many men on the ice.  After successfully killing the bench minor the Flyers were then buried by Islander pressure.

The pressure was first highlighted by a spectacular post bound shot taken on an air born puck by Anthony Beauvillier.  You could feel the Islanders were close to breaking through again.

At the 8:34 mark Josh Bailey set up Brock Nelson on a two on one that would extend the Islander lead to three to zero.  After back checking Giroux deep in his own end Nelson rushed up ice to join Bailey against Matt Niskanen.   Niskanen was unable to negate the pass and Nelson snapped the puck past Hart.  The second period would end with the Flyers looking ragged and down three to nothing.

The Flyers would need to produce a great effort in order to extend their season but seemed disjointed  as the third period began.  Scott Laughton tried to fire up the team by challenging and fighting Jean-Gabriel Pageau.  Pageau was certainly firing a volley of fists that Laughton was able to rebuff before taking Pageau to the ground.

Shortly after the fisticuffs, the Flyers went on the powerplay.  It was another feeble power play effort that yielded not a single shot. Vigneault’s desperation for any offense was evident as he pulled Hart for an extra attacker just after the seven minute mark.  Anthony Beauvillier would make the Flyers pay, potting an empty net goal at the 6:18 mark and effectively kill any hope of a come back.

Tampa Bay now waits in the Edmonton bubble for the Islanders while the Flyers will return home, ending a very successful and strange season.