On a night where so many things went right for the Flyers, including Joel Farabee scoring three times, it still took overtime to overcome an opportunistic Islander team for the Flyers fourth consecutive win.
The first couple of shifts showed that the Flyers had their skating legs and would be able to keep pace with the Islanders. The Islanders would take the early momentum by drawing a cross check penalty on Ivan Provorov who was provoked by a charge by Cal Clutterbuck. They would survive the Islander power play, no small feat, with their best defensemen in the box.
Fortunes would reverse, as the Flyers would draw the next two penalties in under a minute, with Adam Pelech elbowing Claude Giroux and Brock Nelson hooking Jake Voracek. Voracek would have the extended powerplay’s best chance when a he ripped a shot from a tough angle. Islanders’ goaltender Ilya Sorokin would stretch across the crease, making a complete split and use his glove to rob Voracek. It was an incredible save. The power play would sputter from that point forward and and the Islanders would kill the 5 on 3
The Flyers would battle the Islanders hard, killing another Islanders’ powerplay utilizing outstanding efforts by Phil Myers, Brian Elliott and Kevin Hayes, who was sprung for a short handed break away by Giroux. Hayes would beat Sorokin but be stopped by the cross bar.
Undaunted, the Flyers would draw first blood. After an outstanding shift by the Voracek line, James Van Riemsdyk would dump the puck in deep for Laughton to recover. It could have been an icing as Laughton lost his edge while being interfered with. Showing great and surprising effort JVR recovered his own dump in and start to cycle. JVR would then do some nice forechecking, deflecting the puck to Farabee in the right slot. Farabee, using Adam Pelech as a screen, would uncork a laser wrist shot just under the crossbar on Sorokin’s glove side. It was a great shot by Farabee made possible by JVR’s incredible effort . The Flyers would lead 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
The second period would start with a regrettable penalty on Nolan Patrick for hooking Mathew Barzal at center ice. The Islanders would make short work of the Flyers penalty kill as Nick Leddy would score less than 15 seconds into the power play. Leddy’s wrist shot from the blueline caromed off the glove side post, then the back of the screened Elliott’s leg and into the net. The game was tied at one.
The team and Farabee would respond. At the top of the offensive left circle Farabee would work a give and go to JVR in the corner. When Farabee got the puck back, he fired another rocket that beat Sorokin high to the blocker side giving the Flyers a 2 -1 lead.
They seized the momentum and some degree of control of the game. The Islanders would again falter and succumb to the Flyers dominant play. Farabee and Laughton would force consecutive Islander tunrovers. The puck would find its way to JVR who would send it to Phil Myers at the right point. Myers was unpressured and took time to fire a well aimed wrist shot off of the shin of Farabee and behind Sorokin. This would give Farabee his hat trick and the Flyers 3-1 lead at the close of the second period.
The Islanders would come out storming to start the third period and were able to hem the Flyers in to their own half of the ice. After substantial amount of Islander possession the puck would come to Pulock at the right point. He would fire a low shot that Josh Baily would redirect past Brian Elliott pulling the Islanders within a goal with the score 3-2.
Rather than retreat into a defensive shell the Flyers continued to apply pressure and look for an insurance goal. It seemed only a matter of time before the Flyers pressure broke the Islander defense again. Robert Hagg made a smart rush up ice in the offensive zone, but let fly a shot that was dreadfully off target. The puck rounded the boards to a waiting Justin Braun. Braun missed the puck while trying to keep it in at the blue line and then lost a race to the puck against Anders Lee.
Lee recovered the puck in the Flyers defensive zone and sent a pass from the corner to a wide open Mathew Barzal. Barzal would one time the puck past Brian Elliott. The Islanders had scored two goals on three shots in the period, climbing back to even the game at three.
The Flyers nearly self destructed when Bunnaman and Gostisbehere combined for a turnover in front of the Flyers net that they were lucky to clear. Moments later the Flyers were saved by Scott Laughton, who cut off a partial Anders Lee break away birthed by a Myers’ offensive zone turnover. They were able to survive the sloppy play and limp into overtime.
The Flyers were able to pressure the Islanders in the overtime, dominating the number of chances. Laughton would draw a high stick penalty, giving the Flyers the powerplay. The powerplay would get off to a bumpy start, with the team giving up a prime uncontested slap shot chance to Scott Mayfield which Elliott would equal.
They would recover enough to set up in the offensive zone where Kevin Hayes would score the game winner. Hayes would receive a Provorov pass at the right circle with JVR camped in front of the net. Hayes walked the puck to the very high slot crisscrossing with Provorov and then release the shot. Sorokin would stop the shot but the rebound bounced out to a waiting Giroux. Giroux would make a nice back hand pass to Hayes in the slot who one timed it past the Islander goalie and give the Flyers 2 points on the evening.
The Flyers managed to steady themselves to collect two points on the night. The team now has15 points and are tied with Washington for the most in the division. The team will play again on Wednesday at home against the Bruins.