Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
First game back from the All Star break and both teams hit the ice like they were shot out of a cannon. The Islanders energy was taking the form of chances whereas the Flyers speedy play was leading to turnovers.
Ivan Provorov saved the Flyers bacon early on with Carter Hart way out of position. Provorov stopped a puck on the goal line and swept it out of the way of danger. Owen Tippett was showing bursts of speed that caused a couple Flyers chances but the Islanders defense did a good job of keeping pucks away from the net. Kyle Palmieri scored the first goal of the game high glove side on the power play with just under three minutes left in the 1st period. Shots were a lopsided 15-7. After the game Head Coach John Tortorella described the 1st period as “boys against men”.
The Flyers calmed down and got their focus back for the second. They were doing a better job getting pucks to the net and the Islanders did not get a shot on goal until almost 9 minutes in. Unfortunately that shot went in to put the Isles up 2-0. Mathew Barzal beat Hart clean to the blocker side.
The Flyers got on the board with Nicolas Deslauriers’s 3rd goal of the season. Nick Seeler had a nice puck possession taking it deep into the New York zone. Seeler protected the puck and carried it around behind the net coming out the other side and hitting Tony DeAngelo with a pass at the point. Deslauries deflected Tony D’s wrist shot through traffic and past Semyon Varlamov.
Penalty Kill
The Flyers had a penalty kill during the 2nd that was text book perfect. Konecny and Laughton are such a dangerous pair in that situation. It really takes away the focus on scoring for the team with the man advantage. On the second unit Patrick Brown was absolutely relentless on the forecheck. I’m pretty sure that kill went down just the way the coaching staff would like to see it done every time.
Still Anyone’s Game
The Islanders came out swarming in the 3rd looking for the insurance goal. Hart made several key saves keeping the Flyers one goal away from even. New York was out-playing the Flyers all night long beating them to pucks and forcing turnovers. Even so on the scoreboard, where it matters, it was still anyone’s game. Owen Tippett looked sharp, crafty, and fast all night. He drew a couple Islander penalties tonight just by keeping his feet moving and leaving them with no other option.
The Flyers pulled Hart with 3 minutes left for the extra skater but could not get much going. The home team plagued themselves tonight with turnovers and had a couple close calls with their net empty. Time ran out as they were forced to play dump and chase with the extra skater which I guess is a testament to the defensive play of the New York Islanders. It is a shame to see this one slip away at this time of year when a point or two could really come in handy.
