The Flyers Fight Off An Islanders Rally In An OT Win In Game Two

Philippe Myers secured the Philadelphia Flyers first win of the series with his overtime goal 2:41 into the extra time at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Wednesday.  

After getting shut of 4-0 in Game one, the Flyers got to work early in the first period. Kevin Hayes scored twice, and Sean Couturier scored once in the first to give Philly a 3-0 lead. The Flyers surge in the first period was enough to send in Islanders backup goalie Thomas Greiss to take over for Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov’s shutout streak, which is an Islanders playoff record, ended at 138:17.

“I was looking for a spark,” Islanders Head  Coach Barry Trotz said. “Three goals I think it was on nine shots, and I just was looking for something a little bit different. Not his fault. We didn’t give him enough support there.”

That spark came later in the second period. The Islanders finally got on the scoreboard during a power-play when Captain, Anders Lee, tipped in the puck off of a pass from Matt Barzal. 

The Islanders’ push continued into the third with a goal from Anthony Beauvillier and Jean-Gabriel Pageau to tie the score. The Flyers lost the off-sides challenge on Pageau’s goal and gave the Islanders the man advantage for the remainder of the period. 

“I thought we just stuck with it,” Pageau said. “We came back after the first, refocused, made sure we were coming back and just getting back to the simple things, work hard, and do all the simple plays and get back as a unit of five and attack as a unit of five. I thought we did a really good job in the second and in the third to put pressure on them, and that’s why we came back.”

Myers scored the game winner early into overtime off a wrist shot from the point. 

“When you lose Game 1 and your next two games are back to back, Game 2 is a pretty important game,” Hayes said. “Every game is important, but tonight was probably the most important game of the season. We’re feeling good about ourselves. They’re going to come hard tomorrow. Enjoy it quickly and get ready for tomorrow.”

Game 3 of the second round will be on Thursday at 7pm at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. 

For more NHL coverage, click here.