Follow me on Twitter:
@BenShelley_20
Follow HockeyBuzz Islanders on Twitter:
@HB_Islanders
The New York Islanders continued to climb back into the playoff picture with a 4-3 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers yesterday.
The Islanders opened the scoring only about two minutes into the game, as Mathew Barzal did a good job to keep control of the puck before dishing it to Robin Salo, who ripped a slapshot past Carter Hart for his first NHL goal. New York controlled the first half of the frame, with a good chunk of the first 10 minutes being spent in Philadelphia’s end. It looked like the Flyers tied the game midway through the frame off a goal from Joel Farabee, but it was deemed an offside on a challenge. However, Philadelphia did manage to tie the game for real later in the period, as James van Riemsdyk poked a puck through Semyon Varlamov, as the teams went into the intermission tied 1-1.
Philadelphia really took over in the second period and the Islanders were just trying to hang on through a lot of the frame (especially the first half), being outshot 14-7. However, Anthony Beauvillier did a good job on the forecheck to create a turnover, before the puck got to Josh Bailey and he was able to put the Islanders up 2-1. However, the Flyers tied it once again just 26 seconds later, as Semyon Varlamov misplayed the pick and couldn’t really recover and Travis Konecny scored in-close.
Claude Giroux gave the Flyers their first lead about four minutes into the third period, taking a pass for a partial break and roofing the puck over Semyon Varlamov. The Islanders were really outplayed through the first bit of the period and I’m pretty sure they didn’t have a shot through the first seven minutes of the final frame. However, they started to press and with under five minutes to go, Scott Mayfield threw the puck in front to Casey Cizikas, who deflected it past Hart, sending the game to overtime.
It ended up being a really exciting extra frame, with odd-man rushes going both ways and the Islanders getting some excellent chances to score, but Hart came up big. As a result, the game went to a shootout, which ended up going nine rounds. It took until the 18th shooter to get a goal, as Oliver Wahlstrom picked a corner with an excellent shot to win it for the Islanders.
The Islanders had some really strong stretches of hockey, mainly being the first period and second half of the third period, but it wasn’t necessarily a complete effort. That said, getting the two points – and battling back to do it – was great to see.
New York has picked up 13 of the last 16 possible points and is now back up to a .500 points percentage, sitting 10th in the Eastern Conference. It’s been an impressive stretch and they now have another great opportunity with a seven-game homestand.
The Islanders’ next game comes on Friday against the Arizona Coyotes.
***We've launched a HockeyBuzz Islanders Twitter account! For anyone interested, you can follow
@HB_Islanders for updates on articles, Islanders news, etc.***
Supersurvey
OTHER ARTICLES FROM JANUARY
Islanders begin 2022 with a win, beat Oilers in overtime
Noah Dobson has taken a huge step forward with Islanders this season
Islanders beat Devils in first game after lengthy break
Adam Pelech selected for All-Star Game, Ross Johnston suspended
Islanders' momentum halted in 2-0 loss to Capitals
Islanders beat Flyers 4-1 in first game of home-and-home set 
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»