|
Wrap: Disastrous Night in Brooklyn as Flyers Lose 5-4 |
|
|
|
|
|
WRAP: Disastrous Night in Brooklyn as Flyers Lose 5-4
The Philadelphia Flyers had a disastrous Tuesday night. A brutal second period, a third-period three-goal comeback that was given right back and a desperation late push that fell just short resulted in a 5-4 loss to the New York Islanders at Barclays Center.
Tied at 1-1 at the first intermission, the Flyers were terrible with and without the puck in the middle period and found themselves staring at a 4-1 deficit heading into the third period. A pair of power play goals -- with a change on the top unit -- got the Flyers back within a goal. Their captain then tied it but a bad pinch by Ivan Provorov and an Islanders breakaway goal on the very next shift put New York ahead to stay.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, with a comeback OT win against the Detroit Red Wings, moved two points and one ROW ahead of the Flyers. The New Jersey Devils blew out the New York Rangers to move one point ahead of the Flyers and drop the Flyers to the lower wildcard spot. Meanwhile the Florida Panthers dug deep and came up with a 2-1 regulation win after a would-be tying goal by the Nashville Predators In the final second was overturned for goalie interference.
John Tavares (power play and even strength goals, 35th and 36th), Anthony Beauvillier (20th), Mathew Barzal (21st and 22nd) scored for the Islanders. Barzal (60th assist), Thomas Hickey (19th assist), Ryan Pulock (21st assist), Josh Bailey (52nd), Beauvillier (14th and 15th assists), and Jordan Eberle (33rd and 34th assists) had assists.
Thomas Greiss got the win with 27 saves on 31 shots.
Wayne Simmonds (24th goal of the season), Nolan Patrick (two power play goals, 12th and 13th) and Claude Giroux (30th) scored for the Flyers. Patrick (16th assist), Oskar Lindblom (4th assist), Shayne Gostisbehere (48th and 49th assists), Giroux (67th assist), Jakub Voracek (64th assist), Sean Couturier (41st) and Andrew MacDonald (15th) collected assists.
Petr Mrazek took the loss. He stopped 32 of 37 shots. None were soft goals but a few were also not unstoppable.
The Flyers went 2-for-2 on the power play. The Islander went 1-for-3 but their second goal was scored moments after a power play where the Flyers could not get out of their own zone.
1ST PERIOD SYNOPSIS
The Flyers started the game with a full minute of offensive zone pressure, including a Sean Couturier scoring chance off a feed from Giroux. The Flyers got a full line change out and the Nolan Patrick line continued the attack.
Near the 3:00 mark, an Anthony Beauvillier shot from the top of the left circle off the rush was the Islanders first meaningful entry in the Flyers' end. Shortly thereafter, Ivan Provorov saved the Flyers a heap of trouble with a quick stick near the net to break up what otherwise would have been a point blank chance for Ross Johnston.
Shots were 3-1 Flyers through the first six minutes.
After a long delayed call,, the Islanders got the game's first power play at 7:05. Couturier got the gate for tripping Jordan Eberle. New York wasted little time cashing in to take a 1-0 lead. The Islanders gained possession and the Flyers' PK sagged back in loose coverage . Tavares received the puck from Barzal, was given plenty of time and space in the left circle and rifled a shot through the five-hole. Barzal got the lone assist at 7:15.
Valtteri Filppula had a great chance to knot the game off a feed from Jordan Weal. At the other end, Beauvillier had a point blank opportunity that he wasn't able to finish.
Simmonds finished off a beautiful goal off the rush to tie the game at . Shayne Gostisbehere triggered a breakout from the defensive zone. Oskar Lindblom gained the line and fed to Patrick. Simmonds went to the slot, received a tape-to-tape feed and buried it to tie the game at 19:07. The assists went to Patrick and Lindblom.
First period shots were 10-10.
2ND PERIOD SYNOPSIS
The Flyers had a rag-tag start to the period and Beauvillier had another near-miss chance near the Flyers net after a Philly turnover in the neutral zone. Voracek got the gate for high sticking at 1:26.
The Islanders generated a flurry of chances in close to the net as Tavares worked inside the PK box. There was finally a whistle to stop play. The Flyers then survived a missed clearing chance and the end of the penalty but never got the puck out of their own end. Beauvillier wheeled his way over the middle and sniped a shot upstairs for a 2-1 Isles lead at 3:43. The assists went to Hickey and Pulock. Shots were 8-0 Isles.
With 14:16 left in the period, Brock Nelson used a screen from the left circle to fire off a tough chance on goal. Mrazek fought it off and then covered the puck. With 10:40 left, after the Patrick line get hemmed in deep, Mrazek erased a Johnny Boychuk blast. Nelson won the next draw cleanly and Mrazek stopped a scorching slapper from Pulock.
Konecny had a great scoring chance near the midway mark, tipping a puck on net from the slot and receiving a high stick in the face for his troubles. At the other end, the Couturier line and top defense pair had a massive breakdown both below and above the dots. Mrazek had to come up big again.
The Islanders finally made it 3-1 at 11:06. A cross-ice pass attempt from Simmonds to Gostisbehere got picked off at the New York blueline and was picked off by Bailey for a counter chance. With half-speed backchecking from the Flyers, Tavares claimed his own tip-shot rebound off Mrazek's pads in close and chipped it over him. Bailey got the lone assist.
Looking for a spark, Hakstol restored the early-season top line of Voracek with Giroux and Couturier.
Simmonds fired a shot on net from the left dot. The puck trickled behind Greiss's pads but the referee lost sight of the puck. However, there were no Flyers nearby.
New York opened a 4-1 lead at 16:27 on a delayed penalty on the Flyers. Beauvillier and Barzal outworked the Flyers along the wall. Simmonds got beaten rather easily. From the right circle, Barzal went bar down on the short side. Eberle got the secondary assist.
After a Brandon Manning turnover to Cal Clutterbuck and a home run pass attempt from Giroux to Voracek was tipped away, Ryan Pulock went right around Gudas at the other end. Mrazek made the save.
The Flyers top line generated a late scoring chance but Provorov didn't get anything on it.
Shots were 17-6 Islanders (27-16 Islanders overall).
3RD PERIOD SYNOPSIS
Michael Raffl opened the third period on the Couturier line. Giroux had a good scoring chance from the right circle after quick passes from Gostisbehere (headman pass) to Couturier (left circle) to Raffl (over middle) to the captain. Greiss made the save.
Beauvillier had yet another another good scoring chance. Filppula and Manning had failed clears. Finally, the whistle sounded at 2:58 for a crosschecking penalty on Johnston (who had been exchanging stickwork with Gudas). A scrum ensued after the whistle but there were no further penalties. The Flyers went on their first power play of the game.
Greiss stopped an unscreened Gostisbehere one-timer with Couturier and Simmonds off to the left side. Patrick replaced Simmonds on the top unit. Giroux fed out to Gostisbehere at the point. Patrick deflected the puck in front and it rattled into the net to cut the gap to 4-2 at 4:07. The assists went to Gostisbehere and Giroux.
Sanheim joined the rush for a shot from the left dot. Greiss closed the five-hole but left a rebound the Flyers could not claim.
Beauvillier and Barzal had a 2-on-1 rush. Beauvillier wasn't able to finish it off.
At the 7:00 mark, Konecny was hooked down by Scott Mayfield in the offensive zone. Philly went back to the power play. Giroux was tossed from the first faceoff and Couturier lost the right circle draw. The Flyers finally got set up. Giroux started a three-pass sequence and then Patrick tipped home a great pass from Voracek for his 2nd goal of the period at 8:16. The assists went to Voracek and Gostisbehere.
A triangular passing sequence between Sanheim, Lindblom and Patrick produced a great chance to tie the game but Patrick tipped it just wide. With 9:22 left, Couturier put a rocket on net right off a draw.
Raffl made a great forechecking play and got the puck out to Andrew MacDonald at the point. New York never got reset. Couturier passed to Giroux in the right circle and the captain buried the shot to tie the game at 13:04.
The Isles got the goal right back a mere 28 seconds later. Eberle chipped a puck past a pinching Provorov on the walls. Barzal, blew past the lead-footing Lehterä, went in alone from the blueline off a pass from Beauvillier, and scored to make it 5-4.
Sanheim could not finish off a great feed from Filppula on the next shift. The Flyers took a too many men penalty -- Voracek, having a skate problem but deliberately touching the puck off his skate as he went off, was the guilty part -- with 4:56 left.
The Flyers called timeout with 1:38 left and pulled Mrazek for a 6-on-5 attack. The Flyers generated furious pressure but never found an equalizer.
Shots were 15-10 Flyers (37-31 Islanders overall).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»