Philippe Myers’ deflected slapper beat Thomas Greiss and the New York Islanders in overtime 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon as the Philadelphia Flyers took Game 2 of the second-round playoff series to tie things up at one game apiece.
Philadelphia’s hero salvaged a game in which the Flyers blew a 3-0 first-period lead as the Islanders scored three unanswered in regulation to force the extra period. The final two of regulation tallies came within 6:40 in the third period — J.G. Pageau’s wrister with 2:09 left in the third period answering Anthony Beauvillier’s lifeline just moments earlier.
It was quite a turn of events after the Islanders originally looked like they’d be run out of Scotiabank Arena in Toronto early on.
The Flyers took the lead on their very first shot of the game when Kevin Hayes snapped a wrister over the shoulder of Varlamov.
The goal ended Varlamov’s franchise-record shutout streak at 138:17, which he set just moments earlier after two-consecutive shutouts dating back to Game 5 of the first round against the Washington Capitals.
Less than eight minutes later, Hayes got his second when he snuck a wrister under the arm of Varlamov short side off the rush that originated from a Jordan Eberle turnover in the Flyers’ zone.
It was the first time all postseason that the Islanders allowed two even-strength goals in one period.
The Islanders’ deficit grew to three with 4:49 left in the period when Sean Couturier bodied Nick Leddy one-on-one while powering to the net and deking around Varlamov for the goal. That was all for the Islanders’ once-unbeatable netminder as Thomas Greiss was called in for his first action of the postseason.
The backup goalie stopped 18 of the 19 shots he faced in relief.
New York finally picked up its game midway through the second on the power play when Anders Lee tipped home Mathew Barzal’s bullet of a centering pass right in front of Hart with 8:15 left in the frame.
Down two, the Islanders shifted its focus to more of an attacking game while keeping its organization, and it paid off.
Beauvillier snuck behind the Flyers defense to sneak one under the arm of Hart with 8:49 left of an on-rushing feed from Josh Bailey to get the Islanders within one.
They kept the pressure up and committed all their forces forward when a Flyers turnover found Pageau wide-open between the dots where he sent a wicked wrister over Hart to tie the game with 2:09 remaining.
