Mathew Barzal scored the lone goal of the shootout Saturday night for the host New York Islanders, who squandered a two-goal, third-period lead before edging the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, in Uniondale, N.Y.
Goalies Ilya Sorokin and Carter Hart kept the first four combined shooters out of the net faced before Barzal descended upon Hart, shuffled the puck several times before he sent a shot over Hart’s pads. Sorokin then turned back Jakub Voracek to seal the second straight win for the Islanders, who moved into a tie for first place in the East Division with the idle Washington Capitals.
Anthony Beauvillier scored both regulation goals for the Islanders while Sorokin made 30 saves.
Claude Giroux scored twice in the third period for the Flyers, who lost for the sixth time in eight games (2-4-2) and fell four points behind the Boston Bruins in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East. Hart recorded 22 saves.
The Islanders led 2-0 after two periods despite being outshot 21-10 in the first 40 minutes.
Matt Martin, stationed in front of Hart, set up Beauvillier’s first goal in nifty fashion by wrapping the puck around his back, through the legs of Philadelphia defenseman Phil Myers and to Beauvillier, who fired a shot under the arm of the sprawling Hart with 7:59 left.
Beauvillier started the sequence that led to his second goal late in the second. The left winger picked off a chip pass by James van Riemsdyk at the Flyers blue line and shoveled a pass to Barzal. Beauvillier then raced to the slot and was wide open when he received the puck back from Barzal before scoring with 4:20 remaining.
Giroux scored twice in a span of just under four minutes in the third. Teammate Travis Konecny knocked down the Islanders’ Oliver Wahlstrom as they chased a puck deep in the New York zone. Konecny passed to Giroux, whose shot rang off the far post and into the net at the 6:38 mark.
Jakub Voracek’s timely pass from the edge of the net left the Islanders flat-footed for Giroux’s game-tying goal with 9:28 left. With three New York players still trying to find the puck, Giroux swooped into the slot and beat the screened Sorokin.
–Field Level Media