PHILADELPHIA – The Flyers’ Scott Laughton scored with 3:16 gone in extra time on Saturday night to lift Philadelphia to a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders.
Kevin Hayes #13 of the Philadelphia Flyers scores on Goalie Semyon Varalamov #40 of the New York Islanders
“It was a 2-on-2 play,” Laughton said. “[Giroux] came behind me and it’s either a drop or you keep it and try and get the defenders switching. I just tried to hold on to it and find an angle at the net.”
Carter Hart made 26 saves. to get the win.
After falling behind 0-2 in the first period, the Isles responded with goals from Jordan Eberle and Scott Mayfield in the middle frame to tie it up.
“I really liked our second and third,” Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said. “They had 11 shots with about eight minutes to go in the third period, so we did a pretty good job for the last two periods. We probably deserved a better fate, but we were pretty loose with pucks early and we had to dig ourselves out of a hole. [But] I liked the way we responded. … We showed the character that it’s going to take for us to maybe put some games together and collect some points here.”
Neither team was able to break through in the third, forcing the extra session.
“I thought the first 10 minutes or so was the game we play, quick-upping pucks, making it hard on their defensemen, making them turn, and then it got away from [us] a little bit,” Laughton said.
Jakub Voracek and Kevin Hayes were the first period strikers for Philadelphia.
“In the second and third period, they were the better team,” Philadelphia head coach Alain Vigneault said. “Give them credit. Their execution in those two areas, plus the fact that they forced us into penalties, and they were the better team on the ice. But we were able to, at the end of the day, bend not break and found a way to win.”
Semyon Varlamov made 15 saves. in the loss.
“There’s a lot of character in this locker room,” Eberle said. “We have a lot of leadership and a lot of guys who care about each other. The message [after the first period] was just no one’s going to do it, it’s up to us to turn this thing around. … It’s still pretty bittersweet to lose that extra point. It’s got to be us to get us out.”
Scott Laughton #21 of the Philadelphia Flyers scores the winning goal in the overtime period against the New York Islanders
Nolan Patrick #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers looking to redirect the puck past Semyon Varalamov #40 of the New York Islanders
Carter Hart #79 of the Philadelphia Flyers tracks the puck
Cal Clutterbuck #15 of the New York Islanders checks Connor Bunnaman #82 of the Philadelphia Flyers
Goalie Carter Hart #79 and Shayne Gostisbehere #53 of the Philadelphia Flyers and Anders Lee #27 of the New York Islanders look to the point for a shot
Semyon Varalamov #40 of the New York Islanders makes a save as Claude Giroux #28 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks for a rebound.
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