Islanders drop Game 2 to Flyers after impressive comeback

The New York Islanders drop Game 2 to the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-3 after coming back from a 3-0 deficit.

Play your game. The New York Islanders 4-0 win in Game 1 wasn’t perfect even though the 4-0 scoreline suggests it was. With a weak second period, the Islanders were skating on thin ice with a 1-0 lead for most of the game.

But when the Isles were playing their game – tough on pucks, challenging shooters, executing on their opportunities – they found a way to pull out a win.

Barry Trotz was confident his lineup could put up a better effort and get the job done in Game 2 so he kept the team intact. Meaning Ross Johnston got his second start and Andy Greene continued to line up next to Nick Leddy on the third pair.

Hero to Zero

Right off the opening faceoff, the Islanders set up a strong forecheck and established a presence in the Flyers zone. Just as they did in Game 1. That offensive zone time allowed Semyon Varlamov to set the Isles playoff shutout streak record.

Whatever good vibes were built up by setting that record was quickly depleted with an incredible shot by Flyers center Kevin Hayes who went top corner on Varly 1:57 into the game. Varlamov’s shutout playoff streak was set at 138:17.

Minutes later it was Kevin Hayes again with a weak short side attempt that beat Varly to put the Flyers up 2-0.

Varly was chased from the net a few minutes later when Nick Leddy made a weak attempt to muscle Sean Couturier off the puck and the Flyers center walked around Varlamov to then make it 3-0 for the Flyers.

Just like that, Varlamov went from hero to zero for the Isles.

Power Play Anders

After going down 3-0 in goals and 11-7 in shots in the first period, the Isles woke up in the second. Their constant pressure on the Flyers puck carrier would create a number of turnovers and eventually lead to a power play.

Fans didn’t have time to complain about the Isles terrible form on the man-advantage before captain Anders Lee put the puck in the back of the net off a nice feed from Mathew Barzal.

With that goal, the Islanders were back in the game and feeling it. For the rest of the second period, the Isles controlled the play and continued to press for a second goal. Unfortunately, Carter Hart was equal to the task stopping ten of the Islanders eleven shots in the period.

Beau Knows Goals

The Islanders had their work cut out for them in the third period. A two-goal deficit wasn’t impossible to overcome. They’d done it before against the Flyers. Back on November 16, they erased a 3-0 deficit with three unanswered goals in the third. Two of those goals were scored by Anthony Beauvillier.

So leave it to the Islanders top scorer to find the back of the net at 11:11 of the third period for his seventh (yes, seventh) goal in the postseason.

Beauvillier now has seven goals in eleven playoff games in 2020. He’s converting on 18 percent of his shots with seven goals in 38 shots so far. It’s absolutely wild how Beauvillier has been lethal in front of goal in the postseason for the Islanders.

Now the Islanders had life. They were down by a single goal with plenty of time to score the equalizer and comeback from a 3-0 hole.

By the 17 minute mark of the third period, the Islanders had run a +20 5on5 Corsi advantage on the Flyers. It was only a matter of time before they found the back of the net again.

Cue deadline day acquisition Jean-Gabriel Pageau to pop in the game tieing goal courtesy of a smart play along the blueline by Adam Pelech.

After going down 3-0 quick in the game, the Islanders stuck to their plan and broke the Flyers and clawed their way back into the contest and push for overtime.

Sadly, the Flyers wanted it more in the extra frame, and after a solid forecheck they created enough havoc in the Islanders end that a point shot from Philippe Myers (after deflecting off of Anders Lee’s stick) found the back of the net for the win.

Three Winners

Kevin Hayes: 2G, 3SOG
Sean Couturier: 1G, 1A
Thomas Greiss: 20 saves, 0.952SV%

Three Losers

Semyon Varlamov: 7 saves, 0.700SV%
Scott Mayfield: -2
Nick Leddy