What the Flyers' can take from OT win into game 3 against Islanders

Game two was a must-win scenario for the Philadelphia Flyers. Including the regular season, the New York Islanders were undefeated against the Flyers. To claim their first victory against the Islanders, Philadelphia needed to come out hot. The tides needed turning from game one. Overtime hockey was required, but the Flyers were on the winning end in this contest.

Something that I have been clamoring for came to fruition. The Philadelphia Flyers put together their original first line (Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek) and started hot. Their energy on the opening shift was contagious to the rest of the top six forwards. Now, the Flyers needed to keep that intensity for all three periods. Game two was just as much about how the New York Islanders refuse to give up.

First Period

Semyon Varlamov needed to extend his shutout period an extra forty seconds to surpass Billy Smith's 1980 New York Islanders record. He accomplished that feat, but at a hefty cost. Just under two minutes into the first period, Kevin Hayes sniped his first goal after receiving a beautiful cross-ice pass from Travis Konecny. On his second shot of the game, Hayes scored again after Joel Farabee regained possession. Varlamov lasted about fifteen minutes in game two before he was pulled by Barry Trotz after Sean Couturier scored his first of the postseason.

Second Period

Thomas Greiss was poised to do better, and he did. He has not played a game since March 7th, 2020. Greiss' last performance went down as an overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Almost twelve minutes into the second period, the New York Islanders scored a powerplay goal when Anders Lee deflected a pass by Carter Hart. Hart did all he could, but Lee had a prime position on Matt Niskanen along the crease.

Third Period

Philadelphia Flyers beat writer, Sam Carchidi, reminded us of the regular-season game when the New York Islanders came back from three goals to win in overtime. Part of that was correct about yesterday. Anthony Beauvillier scored on a give-and-go, three-on-two breakaway. The Islanders tied the game late from a shot by Jean-Gabriel Pageau after a bad turnover in the defensive zone by Travis Sanheim. It was the second time the Flyers gave up a three-goal lead to New York in the same season.

Overtime

A familiar story had a new ending. Alain Vigneault did challenge the New York Islanders' final goal as offsides. To this moment, it looked like it was offsides, but former Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Martin Biron provided a great explanation. The Flyers are no stranger to overtime hockey in 2019-2020. Philippe Myers was the author of this ending, sealing the victory with a goal from the blue-line.

Flyers Are Buzzing, First Line Winning

All of the goals scored were controlled by the Philadephia Flyers top-six forwards. Kevin Hayes on the first goal happens after an important faceoff win by Claude Giroux and a brilliant pass by Travis Konecny. Hayes' second goal is a product of Joel Farabee's defense in the neutral zone. Sean Couturier secured his first goal, and Giroux received the assist. These are the first two lines that the Flyers should have had all along.

#BobbyHaggHive

It is our hashtag here at Philly Sports Network, and let me explain why. Robert Hagg is a player that has earned his role. He has been consistent throughout the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. If you want a physical presence, Hagg is your guy. Throughout the postseason, the Philadelphia Flyers have only lost once with Hagg in the lineup.

Philadelphia Myers

Not only is the #BobbyHaggHive brand thriving, but my Philadelphia Myers brand soared. He recovered nicely from game one. His overtime goal is what secured the Philadelphia Flyers' first victory over the New York Islanders in 2019-2020. Myers finished just behind Robert Hagg with four hits. His line thrived in game two.

Our game three preview is listed on the page below.

Game Three Preview

Everything is wiped back to zero. The series may as well be the best of five. After a game two victory, it would be easy to say the Philadelphia Flyers have the momentum. Unfortunately, that is not true. Neither team has the series momentum, which makes game three as vital as two for the Flyers.

After four games, the Philadelphia Flyers found the cracks in the armor of the New York Islanders. More importantly, the Flyers may have found a few new angles to take on Barry Trotz's system. Philadelphia cannot rest on their laurels as they did in the second and third period of game two. No amount of goals is ever enough against this resilient Islanders team. That proven twice in 2019-2020.

Dating back to January 25th, 2020, through March 10th, 2020, the New York Islanders suffered a seven-game losing streak. Most of those games were home games for the Islanders. Before that, following New York's third victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders buckled a four-game losing streak. Inside the bubble, Alain Vigneault ought to be studying those games that New York struggled in. The teams that defeated the Islanders during those two losing streaks were all teams Philadelphia was able to conquer.

Game Three Storyline

This one is considered a swing game. Whoever wins game three is in an ideal position to dictate the later stages of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Both teams showed resiliency in their rematch. While the New York Islanders never gave up and tied the game after being down by three goals, the Philadelphia Flyers never rolled over to die. They kept trying what works, and it eventually paid off in overtime.

Alain Vigneault decided to replace Scott Laughton with James van Riemsdyk in game two. Laughton has been struggling as of late, but the consensus lingered around Nate Thompson or Derek Grant being replaced for van Riemsdyk. It seems that Laughton was a healthy scratch due to not contributing a point in the last seven games. Perhaps Vigneault compared how the two performed in the regular season and decided van Riemsdyk was the better option. After yesterday's result, van Riemsdyk may get the nod over Laughton again.

In two Eastern Conference Semifinal games, Carter Hart has surrendered six goals. The Philadelphia Flyers play their second in a back-to-back tonight. Brian Elliott has yet to make a start since the round-robin. The question becomes if tonight is the right time to start Elliott and rest Hart. It may be unpopular but allows Hart to be fresh for Saturday at noon.

Flyers Watch

Despite the win in game two, the top line of the Philadelphia Flyers defense struggled. Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen finished minus-one and with two or more giveaways. The New York Islanders kept themselves alive in game two because they were able to navigate takeaways into goals. That is what happened during Jean-Gabriel Pageau's game-tying score. When glancing at the statistical breakdown of game two, the Islanders were well within their rights to steal that game.

Usually, the Philadelphia Flyers are the team that wins their head-to-head faceoff battles. In game two, the New York Islanders won that battle 53% of the time. While Kevin Hayes contributed to the scoreboard, he lost the majority of his draws. The Flyers are going to need their top-six forwards to continue to push the pace. This time around, Philadelphia needs to keep their energy for all three periods.

Verdict

Similar to game two, tonight is another must-win for the Philadelphia Flyers. I was proven wrong with my prediction when I chose the New York Islanders. Alain Vigneault made the correct adjustments and furthered his recognition as to why he is a Jack Adams Award Finalist. Barry Trotz will be sure to make adjustments, but the Flyers need to come out as hot as they did in game two to bully Semyon Varlamov again. Tonight, I believe Philadelphia wins and leads the series, 2-1.