It wasn't pretty up on Long Island, but the Flyers escaped with a 3-2 win in a brilliant performance by Sergei Bobrovsky. Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, and Sean Couturier each scored, with the third being the definition of a necessary insurance goal.
Bob was the story almost from the start in this one, stopping a penalty shot just a few minutes in. On that and most other shots, he had perfect positioning, square to the shooter and quick with his reactions. The Islanders didn't look like the worst scoring team in the conference, notching 35 shots, some of pretty solid quality. Bob carried a shutout through two periods, but finally conceded a pair in the third, including one with just 16 seconds left.
Fortunately, Couturier had given the Flyers a 3-1 lead at the 18:30 mark, again a familiar looking goal. Video highlights below.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Snub or just "good player not yet named to All-Star team," Hartnell continued to make his case, opening the scoring. His goal was pretty nice too, but the assist by Jaromir Jagr really made it happen. Watch this needle threadin'.
Will he get the start again on Saturday in Nashville?
Notes:
The Isles wore those awful Mets jerseys again. Did they need a new reason for people not to buy their gear?
Max Talbot took a Steve Staios elbow to the head, and he stayed hunched over on the ice until the whistle blew. No word yet on how his head's doing, but Staios might get himself a Shanny vid.
News
The Flyers got only 22 shots on goal. So uh, not the best night for Nabokov, eh?
JVR's second half resurgence… didn't begin on Thursday. He played just 10:32, with no shots on goal.
Giroux was on the ice for both Isles goals, yet distinguished his night overall with a few all-out defensive plays. He also kept pace in the scoring race with an assist on Hartnell's power play goal.
The Flyers' PK kept the Isles 5th ranked power play unit off the board in four opportunities.
The AP clocks Thursday night's win as the Flyers' 26th win in 28 games against the Islanders, including 12th of their last thirteen on Long Island.