5-2 Loss in Elmont Sends Flyers to 10-Game Winless Streak
The Philadelphia Flyers saw their winless streak grow to 10 games with a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Saturday evening. A three-goal outburst by the Islanders in the third period blew the game open.
It the third time in the last calendar year that the Flyers have gone winless in 10 or more games.
On Saturday, the Flyers played the Islanders evenly in the first period and outplayed the Islanders in the second period. Early in the third period, it was the 23-second collapse that turned an eminently winnable game into another multi-goal loss.
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock racked up four assists. Zach Parise scored two power play goals. For the Flyers, Kevin Hayes had two helpers, while Lukas Sedlak had a goal and an assist.
The teams traded off alternating goals in the first and second periods. Adam Pelech (3rd goal of the season) got the Islanders off to a 1-0 lead at 4:33 of the first period. At 15:27, Sedlak (2nd) tied the game. In the second period, Joel Farabee (5th) gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead at 9:28. Parise scored a power play goal (6th) at 16:38 to make it 2-2.
In the third period, the Islanders took a 4-2 lead on closely spaced goals by Brock Nelson (11th) and Anthony Beavillier (5th). A second Parise power play goal (7th) made it 5-2.
Felix Sandström stopped 18 of 23 shots, taking the loss. He wasn't bad but he unable to make clutch saves when they were desperately needed. Semyon Varlamov denied 25 of 27 Flyers shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Islanders were 2-for-3.
For an in-depth recap, analysis, stats and highlights, see the
Postgame 5 on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
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Three-Point Weekend for Lehigh Valley
Despite dealing with illness- and injury-related absences as well as a couple of NHL recalls, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms had a productive weekend as they took three of four possible points.
On Saturday, the Phantoms skated to a dominating 5-1 win over the visiting Rochester Americans. Ian Laperriere's club outshot the Amerks by a whopping 40-15 margin. Making his AHL debut in goal in lieu of No. 1 goalie Samuel Ersson (who missed his third straight game due to a lingering illness) and veteran Troy Grosenick (injury), rookie Nolan Maier made 14 saves.
The Phantoms scored twice apiece in the first and second periods and added an additional insurance goal in the third period. The Phantoms racked up an 18-4 shot on goal advantage in the first period and 17-3 in the second before holding an 8-5 edge in an anticlimactic third period with the game firmly under control.
Tryout veteran center Artem Anisimov notched two goal and an assist. The Amerks couldn't keep up with Olle Lycksell (who was like a whirling dervish with the puck) and the 23-year-old Swedish rookie racked up four points with a goal and three assists. Lehigh Valley also got a goal apiece from rookies Tyson Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers and two assists from defenseman Louie Belpedio. The Phantoms went 2-for-2 on the power play (goals by Anisimov in the latter part of the first period and by Lycksell midway through the second).
The only down note for the game: the Phantoms bottom-ranked penalty kill yielded the game's first goal as Jiri Kulich gave the Amerks a short-lived 1-0 lead at 3:20 of the opening period. Overall, the Phantoms went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
One day earlier, the Phantoms held a 2-0 lead over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins midway through the third period only to give up two goals including a shorthanded goal by Drake Caggiula with 2:01 left in regulation. The Pens went on to win in a shootout, 3-2 (1-0). Foerster and Desnoyers scored for the Phantoms. Pat Nagle stoppped 33 of 35 shots over regulation and overtime before going 2-for-3 in the shootout.
The Phantoms channeled their disappointment over leaving a point on the table on Friday in just the way they should: they came out the next day with focus intensity and took it out on Rochester. Finishing the weekend back-to-back with three of four possible points was a good outcome. Lehigh Valley has gone 6-1-1 over its last eight games.
The Phantoms (8-6-2) are off until Wednesday. They will wrap up their November schedule as they host the Hershey Bears (12-4-2) at the PPL Center.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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