WRAPUP: FLYERS 7 - BLUE JACKETS 4
On Saturday night at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philly trailed 4-2 midway through the third period and then put on a 5-goal blitz to skate off with a 7-4 victory.
The comeback started with Shayne Gostisbehere's first goal of the season; a one-timer from inside center point that deflected off a defender and high into the net at 10:52. James van Riemsdyk got the game tied at 12:37 as he parked near the net and re-directed a shot that a pinching Ivan Provorov directed at the net. It was JVR's second goal of the game.
Kevin Hayes then put the Flyers ahead to stay with a dramatic shorthanded breakaway goal at 14:24. High in the Philadelphia zone, Hayes picked off a D-to-D pass from Cam Atkinson intended for Ryan Murray. On the breakaway, Hayes went to his backhand then back to his forehand. Joonas Korpisalo made the initial save with his pad, but Hayes stayed with the rebound and flipped it over the goalie.
Jakub Voracek (1g, 2a), Hayes (1g, 2a) and van Riemsdyk (2g, 1a) all had three-point games for Philadelphia. Apart from Gostisbehere, the Flyers also got goals from Michael Raffl (empty net, 3rd) and Travis Konecny (power play, 5th).
Back in the second period, Korpisalo atoned for the leaky goal he allowed in the first period with back-to-back breakaway saves on Sean Couturier (off a great pass by Oskar Lindblom) and then Matt Niskanen after the defenseman exited the penalty box. The stops were, up until that point, the turning point in the game. The defense also saved a goal on a scramble at the goal mouth as Lindblom jammed the puck through a pileup of players but not over the goal line.
Brian Elliott was not at his best in this game. Nevertheless, he earned the win with 22 saves on 26 shots. At the other end of the ice, Philly generated 45 shots on Korpisalo plus the Raffl empty-netter.
Boone Jenner scored twice for the Blue Jackets. Josh Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal apiece.
The Flyers went 2-for-4 on the power play, as van Riemsdyk (2nd period) and Konecny (late third period) tallied. The Philadelphia penalty kill got a little too much work on this night but went 5-for-5.
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GAME 10: FLYERS @ ISLANDERS
Playing the second half of a back-to-back and third game of a three-in-four, Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers (5-3-1) are in Uniondale on Sunday to take on Barry Trotz's New York Islanders (7-3-0). Game time at the Nassau Coliseum is 7:00 p.m. ET.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast will be on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the first of four meetings this season between the teams. They will rematch on Nov. 16 in Philadelphia, Feb. 11 in New York and March 24 back in Philadelphia.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers have won three games in a row.
Carter Hart will get the start in goal for the Flyers. He last played eight days ago.
Hart played well in the season opener against Chicago in Prague, brilliantly in a shut out of New Jersey and then solidly in a shootout loss in Vancouver. His fourth start, in Edmonton, was a debacle and he was pulled midway through the game. On Oct. 19, at home against Dallas, Hart had a game that was statistically ugly due to very low shot volumes and three goals against, but he had no chance on the first two goals and then was beaten on a low backhander from the middle of the slot after having seen only one shot in the previous 20+ minutes.
In each of the last three games, the Flyers have gotten goals from three different forward lines. They've also gotten three goals from the defense in that span.
Entering Sunday's game in Long Island, the Flyers are 28.6 percent on the power play and 82.8 percent on the PK. Philadelphia leads the NHL in faceoff percentage (58.3 percent) and in shot/ shot attempt differentials.
Scott Laughton suffered a broken finger in Saturday's game against Columbus. He is expected to miss four weeks. Tyler Pitlick will return to the Flyers lineup in his absence.
ISLANDERS OUTLOOK
The Isles bring a six-game winning streak into Sunday's tilt. On Friday night, New York skated to a 4-2 win over Ottawa. New York defenseman Nick Leddy tallied a pair of goals, including a penalty shot conversion, and Derick Brassard and Matt Martin scored second-period goals. Thomas Greiss earned the win with 30 saves on 32 shots.
Tom Kühnhackl was injured in the first period of the Ottawa game, sustaining a lower-body injury. The Isles were short on the bench the rest of the game, as New York had opted to start the game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Highly touted rookie defenseman Noah Dobson dressed for the first time since Oct. 11. He skated 12:26 against Ottawa. Martin tweaked a knee in the Oct. 25 game. He is questionable for Sunday.
New York has been fearsome on the power play early this season. Including the team's 1-for-3 against Ottawa, the Islanders have connected at 31.3 success rate. The PK has not been as good (78.6 percent) but was 5-for-6 against Ottawa.
Through 10 games, Brock Nelson leads the Islanders with nine points (4g, 5a). He's followed by Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey with four goals and four assists apiece. Greiss has made five starts and one relief appearance (4-1-0, 2.18 GAA, .931 SV%) and Semyon Varlamov has made five starts (3-2-0, 2.43 GAA, .921 SV%).
PROJECTED LINES (Subject to change)
FLYERS
25 James van Riemsdyk - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek 23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny 12 Michael Raffl - 13 Kevin Hayes - 49 Joel Farabee 18 Tyler Pitlick - 24 Mikhail Vorobyev - 44 Chris Stewart
9 Ivan Provorov - 15 Matt Niskanen 6 Travis Sanheim - 61 Justin Braun 55 Sam Morin - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
79 Carter Hart [37 Brian Elliott]
Power Play 1: Giroux, JVR, Farabee, Voracek, Gostisbehere. Power Play 2: Lindblom, Couturier, Konecny, Provorov, Niskanen.
Scratches: 8 Robert Hà¤gg (healthy), 21 Scott Laughton (finger, Oct. 26). Injured non-roster: 19 Nolan Patrick (migraines).
ISLANDERS
27 Anders Lee - 13 Mathew Barzal - 12 Josh Bailey 10 Derick Brassard - 29 Brock Nelson -18 Anthony Beauvillier 28 Michael Dal Colle - 34 Cole Bardreau - 26 Oliver Wahlstrom 32 Ross Johnston - 53 Casey Cizikas - 15 Cal Clutterbuck…‹
3 Adam Pelech - 6 Ryan Pulock 25 Devon Toews - 24 Scott Mayfield 2 Nick Leddy - 55 Johnny Boychuk 8 Noah Dobson …‹
1 Thomas Greiss 40 Semyon Varlamov…‹
Power Play 1: Beauvillier, Nelson, Bailey, Barzal, Toews. Power Play 2: Lee, Brassard, Wahlstrom, Leddy, Pulock…‹.
Scratches: 8 Noah Dobson (healthy), 14 Tom Kühnhackl (lower body), 17 Matt Martin (knee). Injured reserve: 7 Jordan Eberle (lower body, Oct. 11), 47 Leo Komarov (illness), 16 Andrew Ladd (torn ACL).
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PHANTOMS EARN COMEBACK WIN IN CHARLOTTE
For the third straight weekend, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms earned three of four possible points. On Saturday, one night after dropping a 3-2 shootout (1-0 in seven rounds) to the Charlotte Checkers, the teams rematched at the Bojangles Coliseum. This time, after trailing 2-1 in the third period, Scott Gordon's club rallied for two goals to skate off with a 3-2 win in regulation.
With the win, the Phantoms improved to 3-1-3 on the season. Lehigh Valley has overcome third period deficits in three straight games to skate off with at least one point.
German Rubtsov (2nd) scored a second period goal for the Phantoms. Maksim Sushko (2nd) and Greg Carey (power play, 1st) notched the goals in the third period. J-F Berube earned the win in goal, with 29 saves on 31 shots.
The Phantoms' most dynamic players on the attack, especially early in the game, were linemates Morgan Frost and David Kase. They generated multiple quality chances in the game, including a first period give-and-go that required a 10-bell save by Alex Nedelkjovic to deny Frost a three-game goal streak. Later, Frost assisted on Carey's game-winning power play goal; the rookie center has a four-game point streak after being held off the scoresheet in each of the first three games of the season. The winning goal on Saturday was scored off a quick passing sequence from Frost to Andy Andreoff to Carey in the slot.
The Phantoms return to action on Friday at the PPL Center on Friday, taking on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The game is Coat Drive Night on behalf of the Salvation Army.
The #LVPhantoms tied the game twice and then took the lead in the third period to score a 3-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers last night. With the win the team is now on a six-game point streak. pic.twitter.com/Se27Zjvcnd
— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) October 27, 2019