Zegras Leads Flyers to Shootout Win Over Islanders

The Flyers returned home to welcome the New York Islanders after a road loss in Ottawa. Coming home to defend home ice against a rival after a loss on the road was something this squad didn’t excel in last season, but this year has a new style of play and renewed energy in the locker room.

Both teams are playing with confidence, so this Saturday matinee in South Philly looked like it would be a close game, and it was that.

The Islanders had a 2-0 lead in the second with both goals coming on defensive lapses for the Flyers, including a shorthanded strike from Simon Holmstrom, but they made some on-the-fly changes because they tightened up puck control and sharpened their play, bringing the score to 2-1 going into the second intermission.

In the third, they tied it up on a power play goal from Trevor Zegras, but Maxim Tsyplakov scored for the Islanders 2 minutes later, giving the Islanders the lead back. Zegras wasn’t done, however, 3 minutes later, he tied the game on a quick shot with Bobby Brink and Noah Cates giving assists. After that quick burst of action, the defenses tightened up, and the score held into overtime.

The Islanders outshot the Flyers in OT, but the defense held tight. In the shootout, Zegras continued his hot shooting, scoring a pretty goal, and Matvei Michkov quick-handed one by Ilya Sorokin. Anthony Duclair was the Islanders’ last chance, and Samuel Ersson stonewalled him to hand the Islanders their first loss and put the Flyers back in the win column.

In this game, the Flyers showed so much about where they are as a team right now. They showed that they are a young team that is still prone to making physical errors. Those errors started early; the Flyers overskated loose pucks and let the Islanders exploit momentum at will. Early in the game, their passes lacked crispness, leading to the puck staying in their zone too long instead of clean escapes. Soft and mis-aimed passes, along with absent support, let the Islanders spend far too much time in the high slot.

Even so, this young Flyers squad didn’t fold. Zegras scored twice in regulation and added a shootout goal as well, while Christian Dvorak supplied a goal and an assist. Ersson was under fire all game, yet made 23 saves, including a key stop in overtime that kept the Flyers alive. The victory proves the roster can handle heat, but the sloppy lanes they handed the Islanders are avoidable and costly long-term if not corrected.

What stands out is not the win but the way they got there. Over-skating pucks meant the Islanders had clean breakouts and easier shots on goal. Poor first passes broke the rhythm and allowed the Islanders to trap the puck in the Flyers’ zone and ultimately keep the pressure on Ersson. Mis-cleared zones killed shift-cycle energy and forced the Flyers to skate uphill far too much in this game. Those issues can be written off to it being early in the season, habits, and processing speed, not talent. This is something the Flyers coaching staff can correct and make changes in order to play sharper, which will force their opposition to skate from behind, but they won’t need to dig out of holes, which is key to a young team making the leap to the next level.

We want to see this team dominate from the jump, not recover. The margin between winning and losing is razor-thin in these tight games in the NHL, and this is something veteran teams know. If the Flyers tighten up loose puck play, sharpen up their passes, and address their zone-clearing execution, they’ll spend more time dictating the tempo instead of chasing. This was a lesson that came with free points. They took the points, so let’s hope that the free lesson carries over into the Penguins game on Tuesday.

Steve Hamilton

Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.

Twitter

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: