BOX score
Wednesday at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, the Flyers raised some blood pressure across the Delaware Valley.
In a pivotal Game 2 of their playoff series in the second round against the Islanders, the Flyers were nearly burned by a comeback and challenge from coach.
The Flyers blew a 3-0 lead, survived a late third-period New York power play and then won in overtime, 4-3, on Philippe Myers’ goal 2:40 in the bonus session.
The best-of-seven series is now 1-1.
Good for Myers’ big blast to win it, Kevin Hayes (two goals) and Sean Couturier gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes.
The Flyers faced an intestinal check that came into play. They got another in the game.
• The Islanders trailed a 3-1 deficit in the third period with a few goals as they put the Flyers completely on their heels.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored the game-binding marker with only 2:09 left in the regulation.
Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault challenged the game to outside, but the goal was maintained, which put the Islanders in power (a failed challenge is considered a delay of the game).
The Flyers survived through the skin of their teeth to force overwork.
“Absolutely my responsibility,” Vigneault said in a video interview. “Bad call from my side. The lineman was right, the man brought the puck back but did not hit it until the player was out of the zone, so wrong call from my side. My mistake.”
Including the three matchups in the regular season, the Islanders outscored the Flyers 10-2 in the third period. That difference should shrink if the Flyers want to win this series.
• Since January 7, in games following their last 11 losses, the Flyers have been 11-0-0 and have beaten the opposition 48-22.
They truly believe they will respond to losses. To their credit, when they say they will, they do.
“We have not lost for a while two in a row,” Claude Giroux said Monday after the Flyers’ 4-0 loss in Game 1. “We do not intend to lose the next.”
• Myers had never played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before.
What a shot for the big 23-year-old defender.
OH MY-ERS !!
FLYERS WIN IT IN OT. pic.twitter.com/AMEJg3Z5yF
– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 26, 2020
• Carter Hart has won the very next game each time after his three losses in the tournament. In those outings, he stopped 85 of 90 shots and scored 1.65 goals – against average.
The 22-year-old made 31 saves on 34 shots in Game 2. He was good despite the Islanders ’comeback.
New York goalkeeper Semyon Varlamov was snatched in the first period after conceding the three goals on 10 shots. Thomas Greiss played well in relief, making 20 stops.
• Hayes was enormous. Starting with the Game 1 whites and with the top five goal scorers of the regular season team only one goal in the tournament, the Flyers desperately needed some of their big boys to answer the call in Game 2.
The club’s top offseason acquisition showed his urgency and leadership with the Flyers’ first two goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Giroux, Couturier and Jakub Voracek have not always had that help in recent years – a 6-foot-5 center that can go out and just make a play to reduce pressure.
Hayes blamed his team’s confidence with those goals and the Flyers improved to 8-0-0 when they first scored in the playoffs.
In his first postseason with the Flyers, the 28-year-old is a plus-8 through 11 games and has already had playoff careers high in goals (three), assists (six) and points (nine).
HECK YEAH HAYES.
Kevin Hayes nets another! Flyers up, 2-0. pic.twitter.com/GqD2dHXwjv
– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 26, 2020
KEVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN! pic.twitter.com/DvBbF8KwP8
– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 26, 2020
• Rarely do you see Couturier having two bad games in a row. Subpar performances eat up at him; he is a quietly motivated player.
The finalist of the Frank J. Selke Trophy went undefeated in the consecutive games only six times in a row. If he is not defensively sharp in one game, it will never run in the next game.
After a down game Monday, Couturier had an extra gear for him in Game 2. He finished with his first goal of the playoffs, two points and went 9 for 16 on faceoffs.
“We know exactly what we can expect from the islanders when they come upon us,” Vigneault said Tuesday in a video interview. “You have to be ready to take a hit to make a game with the puck.”
Couturier did just that on his goal, eating and avoiding a crosscheck from Nick Leddy as the 27-year-old center gave the Flyers their 3-0 lead in the first period.
COOTS, THERE IS IT. pic.twitter.com/yZf7gU1yWl
– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 26, 2020
• Mathew Barzal has been a problem for the Flyers in the regular season and now he is addressing their issues in this second round series.
The fast-paced and talented 23-year-old center, who has 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 11 career regular season games against the Flyers, put the Islanders’ first goal on the line as Anders Lee brought New York. to within 3-1 during midfield.
Barzal also had a dirty assistant in Game 1, while Lee had two goals in the series.
Anthony Beauvillier made it 3-2 in the third period and the Flyers failed to keep New York.
• Lauded for his smarts, 20-year-old rookie Joel Farabee made a huge play on Hayes’ second goal by putting his head down and pressing Ryan Pulock, who received a bouncing puck.
Great game by a kid who always stays low and skates with a goal.
• No, he did not score, but Giroux showed why he can be effective without scoring. He won a coupling defensive zone, which started Hayes’ game-opening streak and eagerly assisted Couturier’s goal. He also made a solid defensive play near the net with his stick in the second period.
The Flyers captain went 8 for 13 on faceoffs.
• Robert Hagg came in the lineup for Shayne Gostisbehere and James van Riemsdyk was back in for Scott Laughton.
Laughton, who was one of the club’s better strikers in the regular season and shone in the round robin, did not look at himself at all in the first and second rounds. Maybe he’s recovered, but Vigneault needed more in Game 2 and went to JVR.
Here’s how the Flyers looked forward:
Claude Giroux-Sean Couturier-Jakub Voracek
Joel Farabee-Kevin Hayes-Travis Konecny
James van Riemsdyk-Derek Grant-Tyler Pitlick
Michael Raffl-Nate Thompson-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
• The teams return immediately on Thursday as the series continues with Game 3 at 7pm ET on NBCSN.
Click here for the full series schedule.
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