It was an all-around great effort from the Islanders Thursday night as they rolled over the Flyers 3-1 at the Wells Fargo Center.
- New York Islanders: 3 (24-18-10, 58 points)
- Philadelphia Flyers: 1 (26-22-7, 59 points)
- NHL, Final, Box Score
- Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
After allowing 15 goals in just three games, the New York Islanders absolutely crushed the Flyers, to put it simply.
It took the Isles some time to regroup after a rocky start set the Islanders back 12-2 in SOG at one point. It wasn’t long before the Flyers capitalized and Wayne Simmonds slipped a powerplay goal past Thomas Greiss.
Despite a brief review, the goal stood. 1-0 Flyers.
The Isles looked like extras right out of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Very little offensive production and reflecting the behavior of a team afraid to make a mistake. That is until former Islander Mark Streit committed a tripping penalty and sent the Isles to the PP.
It was Anders Lee who deflected John Tavares‘ shot past Steve Mason and tied the game for the Isles. The goal was initially credited to the captain but was awarded to Lee after the game.
.@91Tavares ties it on the power play! ? #LGI pic.twitter.com/pTxEVuGu30
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 10, 2017
If the Islanders did not emerge from the first period tied, it could have been a different game altogether.
Fortunately, the PP came in handy and allowed New York to stunt the Flyers’ momentum. Off a great pass from Andrew Ladd as he attracted the attention of the Flyers defense, Jason Chimera was able to direct a bouncing puck right over the blocker of Steve Mason.
A little luck was definitely involved, but all the same. The Islanders took a 2-1 lead with just over two minutes into the second period.
From here, the Islanders were able to dictate the momentum absolutely thrashing Philly in terms of SOG and offensive chances.
Backhand beauty!
Atta boy Chim Dawg ? #LGI #NYIvsPHI pic.twitter.com/IyE4Ynpohf
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 10, 2017
Despite the barrage, the score would hold in the second period.
An early tally would finalize and determine the score for the remainder of the game. Casey Cizikas was able to beat the one-on-one battle with Shane Gostisbehere and put the Isles up by two goals. One that Mason probably wanted back, but regardless, 3-1 Islanders and that score would stand.
.@zeeker11 gets an A+ for effort. ? #LGI #NYIvsPHI pic.twitter.com/Yf6MFe4upl
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 10, 2017
This was a very much needed win for the Islanders, not just points-wise (although it was huge in that regard as well), but they needed a rock-solid road win to boost their spirits. The Islanders haven’t been a fantastic road team all season, and now with 13 of their next 16 games being played on the road, they will need to pick up points.
Aside from playoff implications, New York also picked up a very rare regulation win in Philadelphia.
Tonight was just the #Isles second regulation win in Philly in their last 25 games here. 5-17-2 w/ 4 shootout wins since April 7, 2007.
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) February 10, 2017
After tonight’s results, the Islanders are just two points back from the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Despite the proximity, don’t let it fool you. It will be a bitter fight that will likely not be resolved until April 9 when they play their last regular season game.
Despite how well the team played, it was Shane Prince who stood out sorely. He took two minor penalties in the game, one of which resulted in the Simmonds goal. If Clutterbuck is ready to go on Saturday against Ottawa, look for Prince or Anthony Beauvillier to take a seat once more.
