Beauvillier’s Goal Sinks Flyers in OT
There were enough times the game was there for the taking, notably when the Flyers got a power play with less than two minutes remaining. Defensively, they had played well for nearly 60 minutes for the first time in weeks, so a late goal would certainly be rewarding.
Instead, the power play went to waste, took the game to overtime, and a turnover sealed their fate again. Anthony Beauvillier got a wraparound chance and scored with 1:19 remaining in overtime to hand the Flyers a 2-1 loss to the Islanders on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.
Early in the first, the Flyers came out with jump and were generating some good offensive zone possession. Throughout the period, they limited the Islanders opportunities, despite taking a penalty midway through the period.
After 20 minutes, the Flyers had a 12-4 lead in shots.
Just 17 seconds into the second, the Flyers got a power play, but could not take advantage. Both teams started to get closer to finding the game's first goal in the period.
The Islanders hit the crossbar with Brian Elliott down and out, keeping the game scoreless. The Flyers had a shot go off the crossbar as well, in addition to a number of odd-man rushes that ended without a goal.
Finally, at 12:03 of the second, the Flyers got on the board first. Jake Voracek won a puck battle behind the net, then got it to Claude Giroux. Giroux walked around to the front of the net and centered, with the pass going off Oskar Lindblom's skate and in to make it 1-0 Flyers.
Both teams had some good scoring chances for the remainder of the period, but the one-goal margin stood going to the third. Through two periods, the Flyers had a 26-10 lead in shots.
Just over four minutes into the third, the Islanders finally got on the board. Unable to clear the zone, the Islanders funneled the puck to the net, leading to a scramble in front. Elliott frantically looked for the puck and thought he had it, but it eluded him and went to the side of the net where Oliver Wahlstrom was able to finish to tie the game at one.
The Flyers poured on the shots from there, holding the Islanders without a shot for nearly 10 minutes. They out-shot the Islanders, 11-6, in the final 20 minutes, taking a 37-16 advantage into the overtime.
But in the overtime, the Islanders won the opening draw to erase the final seconds of the power play. The rest of the overtime was played at 4-on-4, and the Islanders had all four shots, capped off by Beauvillier's winner at 3:41. The goal came off a turnover by Joel Farabee that hopped Shayne Gostisbehere's stick and sat along the boards at the other side of the ice for Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Pageau got the puck to Beauvillier, and he got Elliott down and out of position before tucking it home on the other side of the net.
Ilya Sorokin was the difference in the game, making 36 saves in the win. Elliott made 18 saves on 20 shots.
The Flyers are back on the ice on Tuesday night to face the New Jersey Devils. Game time is 7 p.m.
Box Score
1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
Islanders | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Flyers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- No Scoring
2nd Period
- PHI Oskar Lindblom (5) (Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek) 12:03
3rd Period
- NYI Oliver Wahlstrom (8) (Adam Pelech) 4:06
Overtime
- NYI Anthony Beauvillier (4) (Jean-Gabriel Pageau) 3:41
Game Statistics
Islanders | Flyers | |
Shots | 19 | 37 |
Power Plays | 0/1 | 0/2 |
Hits | 26 | 24 |
Faceoff % | 35.4% | 64.6% |
Giveaways | 3 | 11 |
Takeaways | 9 | 7 |
Blocked Shots | 17 | 14 |
Penalty Minutes | 4 | 2 |
Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.