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Wrapup: Early Goal Parade Lifts Flyers to 6-3 Win vs. Isles

March 30, 2017, 10:59 PM ET [124 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
EARLY GOAL PARADE LIFTS FLYERS TO 6-3 WIN VS. ISLES

A five-goal bonanza in the first period keyed the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-3 win over the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. The game saw a pair of single-game franchise records set. The Flyers were massively outplayed in the second period and had some anxious moments in the third period but still doubled up the Isles.

Dale Weise and Wayne Simmonds each recorded Gordie Howe Hat Tricks in the first period, with one goal, one assist, and one fight apiece. It was the third time in franchise history that two Flyers players did it in the same game, but the first two have done it the same period. Weise's Gordie in the first 8:28 of the opening stanza was the fastest in franchise history. Simmonds, who scored his 30th goal for the second straight season, later added an empty net assist to finish off a three-point effort. He became the 19th player in Flyers history to have multiple seasons of 30 goals or more.

"Well you never think you’ll score five goals in a period, but I think we did the right things and we played well. I wish we played that way the second period, I think the second period was a down period for us, but the first was great," Simmonds said.

"I thought it was pretty cool, not lying," Simmonds added in regard to the dual Gordie Howe Hat Tricks.

Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists in the first period; he now has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his last 13 games. Brayden Schenn collected a pair of first period assists for his 10th point (four goals, six assists) in the last 10 games. Weise has seven points (four goals, three assists) in the last nine.

"Weise, Schnner and Couturier have been playing really well since they’ve been put together. I thought Weise did a really good job [in his fight], mine just kind of happened, I think it’s great, it’s good for the team, we were definitely going in the first."

Earlier, Weise fought Travis Hamonic upon request to complete his Gordie.

“He asked me going up on the ice there. I actually know him a little bit. We’re both from Winnipeg. I kind of got excited, I already had a goal and an assist so I couldn’t say no to that one," Weise said with a grin.

Coming off back-to-back games of earning first-star honors, Jordan Weal scored for the third straight game for the seventh time since his recall from the American Hockey League. Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas chipped in his sixth goal of the season. Valtteri Filppula (one goal, one assist) added an empty net tally in the final two minutes.

After the first period, the Flyers took their foot off the gas in the second period, needing Steve Mason to make 21 saves on 22 shots -- including multiple tough saves -- to take a four-goal lead into the third period. The Islanders got back within 5-3 in the final stanza before the Filppula empty netter. Mason finished with 38 saves on 41 shots.'

“I didn’t yell or say anything like that but I think everybody understood that we needed a better second period. We can’t have a first period like that then come out like that in the second. At the end of the day we needed a better second but we got the two points," Mason said.

Added Weise, "We had to reset after the second. I mean it’s really hard when you come out in an emotional game like that. We come out early, a couple fights, it’s really hard to amplify the intensity after that. We knew they were going to come in and push. They are a prideful hockey team over there. We had to kind of reset and find a way to come home and play 20 hard and close out the game.”

Flyers captain Claude Giroux survived a scary moment in the first period as a Joshua Ho Sang high stick caught up beneath his visor and left a nasty abrasion on his eyelid. Thankfully, Giroux was otherwise OK and stayed in the game.

“It happened out of nowhere and kind of hit me in the eye, it was pretty scary. I got pretty lucky," Giroux said, admitting that thoughts of Chris Pronger's ultimately career-ending eye injury flashed through his mind initially.

Islanders starter Thomas Greiss was strafed for three goals on eight shots in the first 8:06 of the game. He was replaced by Jaroslav Halak, who stopped 19 of 21 pucks. Cal Clutterbuck and Andrew Ladd scored for the Islanders.

The Flyers went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill against New York's scuffling power play and 1-for-2 on the power play during a first-period four-minute advantage that resulted in a lucky (but painful) double-deflection goal that first went off Simmonds' knee.

As he did after Tuesday's shootout win against Ottawa, Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol praised the depth that the additions of Weal and Filppula and the creation of their line with Simmonds and Couturier's unit with Schenn and Weise have given the team down the stretch.

"It seems like the switch with those lines, maybe the hidden factor here is really I think Filppula’s line has done a really good job. Just the pieces fitting together there in terms of the level of play I think that Simmer has brought, in terms of that straight line and power forward with those other two. So there’s a combination of both of those groups going pretty good has been a nice boost for us," Hakstol said.

Giroux singled out Filppula and his line for praise, as well.

“They’re playing well. Fil is good on face-offs, a good two-way player. I’m not saying I didn’t think he was good but he’s better than I thought. The way he plays he does real details out there that sometimes you don’t see when you play against somebody," Giroux said.

Unfortunately for the Flyers, they made no headway in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The team remains seven points out of the final playoff spot (factoring their tiebreaker disadvantage) with five games remaining. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes all won on Thursday night.

Of small consolation to the Flyers this season, the team has clinched its eighth straight season of 50-plus points on home ice excluding the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. Thursday's victory improved the Flyers' home record this season to 23-11-4.

1ST PERIOD

Brayden Schenn was denied off the rush and Greiss also stopped Sean Couturier's rebound follow-up in the opening minute. At the other end, Mason denied Anthoy Beauvillier from the top of the right circle and, later, Alan Quine from near the same spot.

After a Radko Gudas turnover credited as a takeaway by Josh Bailey, the Islanders pressured down low. The ever-dangerous Tavares shot the puck high as he stepped out in front of the net.

The Flyers grabbed a 1-0 lead at 4:30. Going to the net as Couturier carried up ice, Weise took a backhanded pass and chipped the puck upstairs in close for his sixth goal of the season. Couturier and Schenn received the assists.

On the next shift after the goal, Mason denied Cal Clutterbuck in close for his fifth save of the first period.

A diagonal rebound on a Brandon Manning offering from a long stride inside the left point was quickly deposited inside the right post by Couturier for his 13th goal of the season and a 2-0 lead at 5:49. Schenn picked up his second assist of the period.

Ivan Provorov carried the mail on a dynamic rush to the net but could not finish on the backhand. Moments later, though, the Flyers made it 3-0 as Radko Gudas blasted a point shot that eluded Greiss at 8:06. The Islanders challenged, claiming goalie interference (and buying time for Jaroslav Halak to stretch, as he came into the net to replace Greiss). Weise and Couturier got the assists.

Greiss finished wih five saves on eight shots.

Trying to get his team going, Travis Hamonic fought Weise off a draw in the Flyers end at 8:22. At the end, the combatants patted each other on the back. Weise completed a Gordie Howe Hat Trick with the fight.

The Flyers made it 4-0 on a massive defensive meltdown by the Islanders. Scoring his seventh goal of the season and third in the last three games, Weal was all alone in front to beat Halak off a centering feed by Wayne Simmonds. Valtteri Filppula got the secondary assist at 9:19.

Shots were 10-7 Flyers at a TV timeout at 11:08. Mason made a tough save on Seidenberg in traffic. With 7:06 left in the period, Giroux took a stick under the visor by Joshua Ho-Sang. The Flyers received a four-minute power play on a double minor (the game's first two power plays).

During the latter half of the advantage, the lead grew to 5-0 the hard way. A blast from the left point by Gostisbehere went off Simmonds' right knee (30th goal of the season), pinballed off Hamonic's hip and then went into the net at 15:42. Jakub Voracek got the secondary helper.

At the 17-minute mark, the Flyers nearly bagged a sixth goal as Filppula got open at the right hash marks. The puck popped into the air but did not find the net.

Anders Lee and Weise jawed at center ice, but Simmonds rushed to his teammate's defense and dropped the gloves. Simmonds won a lopsided bout at 19:53 to complete his own Gordie Howe hat trick.

First period shots were 19-10 in the Flyers' favor.

2ND PERIOD

The teams traded a scoring chance apiece in the opening 90 seconds, including one for Michael Del Zotto in close off the rush.

At 3:14, Clutterbuck made it a 5-1 game. Set up by Calvin deHaan, Clutterbuck cut across to his right and roofed a shot over Mason for his fourth goal of the season. Stephen Gionta got the secondary assist. On the next shift, Mason had to make a close-range save on Bailey to keep the lead at four goals.

The Flyers got a bit sloppy in their own zone for several minutes and Mason had to make a couple tough saves. Shots for the period were 8-1 for Islanders by the 7:52 mark. At 8:05, the Islanders evened up the shots for the game as Mason stopped two jam-in attempts near the right post.

Gostisbehere had an ill-advised point shot blocked and the Islanders countered. The defenseman recovered sufficiently to harass Brock Nelson and the puck dribbled in harmlessly on Mason from the left circle for a save and TV timeout at 12:46. Shots for the period were 12-2 in the Isles' favor at this point. New York resumed attacking as play resumed.

at 13:20, the Islanders got their first power play as Manning was sent off for hooking Nelson below the left circle. The Flyers killed the penalty. As it expired, Manning appeared to beat an icing race in the New York zone but the Isles got the call. The Flyers' Filppula won the draw but iced the puck again. Filppula won again, and the Flyers were able to get their line change.

However, the Islanders went right back to the attack yet again. Mason had to do snow angels and got a stoppage and TV timeout at 16:14. Shots were now 16-2 Isles for the period (26-21 overall). The Isles won the next faceoff and Mason stopped a shot right off the draw. The Isles won the draw again, cycled and Mason stopped a routine Nick Leddy point shot that he saw all the way.

Simmonds dumped Leddy on a big hit at the blueline but could not get down the ice fast enough to prevent an icing. Filppula won the draw and the Flyers cleared. Mason then made his 19th save of the period on the next shift off a long-range shot. Save 20 came on an unscreened Johnny Boychuk point shot.

With 1:34 left, the Flyers took yet another icing. Giroux won the draw but the Islanders countered after Philly gained the zone. A would-be Ho Sang breakaway was broken up before it developed. Mason stopped a Quine side-angle shot at the end of the shift.

Provorov attempted a breakout pass to Matt Read, missed and took an icing with 13.2 seconds left. The Isles won the left circle draw cleanly but Mason absorbed a de Haan point shot through very heavy traffic.

A scuffle broke out after the horn at the end of the period but settled down with no full-blown fights. Clutterbuck, Cizikas, Gudas and Weise all received roughing penalties. Second period shots were 22-3 in New York's favor (32-22 overall).

3RD PERIOD

The Islanders got back to 5-2 very quickly as a de Haan shot from the point bounced off the end boards and was stuffed in by Chimera (18th goal of the season) at the 40-second mark.

Del Zotto erased a Manning giveaway with a shot block. As play exited the Flyers' zone, Manning dropped the gloves with Chimera at 5:47. Both swung with several mostly wild haymakers before tiring.

The Couturier line generated a good chance with Couturier feeding Weise off the rush. Halak made the save at 6:45. A TV timeout ensued with shots 3-2 in the Isles' favor (35-24 overall).

Bellemare was called for high sticking de Haan behind the Islanders' net at 8:48. Mason came up with a 10-bell save on a wide open Anders Lee from point-blank range 30 seconds into the penalty kill. Mason snapped a right-circle shot out of the air with 26 seconds left.

Shot for the period at an Isles' offside and TV timeout at 12:20 were 7-4 for the Isles (39-26 overall). A near breakaway for Giroux fizzled out at the end of a shift.

After a three-on-one chance for the Flyers, the Isles went the other way. A long rage shot by Andrew Ladd was stopped by Mason, popped in the air, rolled down Mason's shoulder and went in for Ladd's 21st of the season to cut the gap to 5-3. Cizikas and Adam Pelach got the assists at 16:02.

Mason fought off a shot through traffic as the Filppula line got pinned in deep. Philly iced the puck at 18:07. Hakstol called timeout, and the Islanders pulled Halak for an extra attacker before the right circle offensive zone faceoff.

After a blocked point shot by VandeVelde, Simmonds fed over to Filppula who iced the game with an empty net goal (third tally as a Flyer; 10th goal of the season overall) at 18:19 to make it a 6-3 game.

Gudas buried Cizikas with a huge hit in the chippy final two minutes and the Flyers had a pair of scoring chances with Halak back in net. Halak was again pulled for an extra attacker in the final 40 seconds.

Third period shots were 9-8 in New York's favor (41-30 Islanders overall).
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