PHILADELPHIA — Forty-three seconds into the second period on Monday night, Travis Sanheim had just scored to tie the game at two and the atmosphere inside Wells Fargo Center had done a 180. It wasn’t just because of the goal. It was because Flyers coach John Tortorella had benched goaltender Samuel Ersson and brought in Ivan Fedotov for his NHL debut to start the period — a huge swing in a game both teams absolutely needed to win. This was where the Islanders would either wither or rise to the occasion. This was going to dictate whether their playoff hopes would be all but lost or rediscovered. They responded by playing two of their best periods in recent memory to beat the Flyers, 4-3, in overtime on Brock Nelson’s game-winner and move within four points of Philadelphia in the standings. With two games in hand on the Flyers, the Islanders still need to play an excellent eight games to make the playoffs. But if a season that had been on the downswing was going to present a chance at a final turning point, here it came. The Islanders’ game, which has been bereft of the possession-focused hockey preached by Patrick Roy lately, finally started to come after Sanheim’s goal. They were suddenly forechecking, cycling and testing the 6-foot-8
Russian for everything he had. Finally, at the 17:54 mark of a second period in which the Isles outshot their opposition 16-3, Anders Lee tipped in Alexander Romanov’s shot from the left point to give them a 3-2 lead. Now they just had to hold onto it — no easy task for this team this year, and one they would initially fail. The Islanders defended with manic energy, throwing themselves in front of shots when possible and getting an excellent effort from Semyon Varlamov when not. Their battle level and wall play — which has often lacked recently — was superb. They worked below the hash marks when holding the puck, with Lee in particular playing a starring role in this third period which required nothing but grind. On a night in which losing might have been the beginning of this core’s end, they went all the way back to their roots: gutting and grinding and frustrating the opposition to no end. This was defensive hockey in style. And then, with 9.6 seconds to go before a dramatic victory, Morgan Frost batted in a rebound from Jamie Drysdale’s point shot to send the game to overtime and completely deflate them. Sign up for Inside the Islanders by Ethan Sears, a weekly Sports+ exclusive. Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! But not for long, as Nelson buried a one-timer less than 90 seconds into the extra period. The Islanders had built a 2-1 lead on the back of an 18-second flurry in the first period. Noah Cates’ goal had put the Flyers ahead 1-0, but Matt Martin tied it on a wrist shot that trickled through the pads of Ersson at the 12:03 mark. Then almost immediately following the faceoff, Mathew Barzal — reunited with Bo Horvat after the two started the game apart — fed Horvat on the rush for a short-side finish, marking goal No. 30 of the season and point No. 500 of Horvat’s career. Ersson’s final tally in the first period, two goals allowed on six shots, was enough for Tortorella to go to Fedotov, who got out of
Russia under opaque circumstances mere days ago, a full nine years after being drafted by the Flyers. That did add some dramatic flair to this already-massive game. But for the Islanders, Fedotov’s saga is only an aside. What matters is two crucial points and a playoff chase that somehow, some way, is not yet over for a team that has limped through the last three weeks. In fact, it might only be getting started.