Stanley Cup Playoffs: New York Islanders take Game One over Flyers

The New York Islanders dominated the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1, beating them 4-0.

After taking the lead early in the first period, the New York Islanders did not look back, as they took Game 1 over the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-0.

This was a game of momentum shifts. The Islanders dominated the entirety of the first period, lost it in the second, but regained it in the third,  and secured it until the horn sounded.

Defenseman Andy Greene had a very strong game for the Islanders tonight, as he got the scoring going just seven minutes into the game. His slapshot from the point was able to divert traffic in front and beat Flyers’ netminder Carter Hart low glove side.

This was Greene’s first playoff goal in over 10 years. His last one came against these same Flyers back when NBCSN analyst Brian Boucher, who was working the game last night, was their netminder.

Besides coming through on offense, Greene’s defense was stellar. While his play in his own zone was the reason for his acquisition back on Feb. 16, he has really become a difference-maker throughout the playoffs. He seemed to be breaking up Flyer rushes left in right with his smart anticipation and just blocking ability in general.

The 36-year old spoke about this defensive play after the game:

” I can’t let that pass get through, and at that point, once it did it was kind of desperation mode and got lucky”.

Greene would finish the night with a goal, two hits, and four blocks, in 18:37 minutes of ice time.

Remember this was a guy who was scratched to start the playoffs, but when Johnny Boychuk left Game 1 against the Florida Panthers due to injury, head coach Barry Trotz dressed Greene and has not taken him out since, even with Boychuk cleared to return.

Just moments after the Islanders took the lead, the Flyers were ever so close to tying up this game. Kevin Hayes on the breakaway looked to make a few moves on Varlamov but was unable to corral the puck, as the chance went by the boards.

This was the case for the Flyers all night, as when prime opportunities arose, goals did not come.

After leading 1-0 after one, the Islanders saw a lackluster power play completely kill the momentum they created in the opening frame. This allowed the Flyers to gain some momentum as they tried to even the score.

In the second frame, which saw no scoring, the Flyers registered 15 shots on goal. The Islanders seem to struggle to make simple plays, particularly in their own zone, with Varlamov doing what he could to preserve the lead.

Now would be a good time to talk about Islanders’ netminder Semyon Varlamov, since the second period was his best and busiest period of the night.

Varlamov’s puck-tracking ability was legitimately perfect, as well as his rebound control. He gave the Flyers minimal rebound opportunities, and on those few opportunities, he positioned himself quite nicely to shut the door.

As this game came and went, so did another sixty minutes of shutout hockey for Varlamov and the Islanders. That is now back to back shutouts for the Russian-netminder, as he is on the verge of making Islander history.

Tonight, he turned aside 29 Flyer shots. Credit needs to be given to the defense in front of him, who blocked 22 shots throughout the night, none bigger than the Greene one above.

When asked about his accomplishments in net, dating back to Game 6 against the Washington Capitals, Varlamov was very modest.

“At this point, it’s not about shutouts, it’s playoff hockey. So for me, the most important thing is to get the win and then get ready for the next game.”

Once the third period began, the Islanders got back to their game.

Less than three minutes in, Ross Johnston would use his forechecking skills to pin Flyers’ defenseman Travis Sanheim against the boards. Leo Komarov would get his stick in there, winning the puck battle, and finding Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who was waiting all alone in front of Hart.

That was Pageau’s fifth goal of the postseason, another regular-season acquisition paying off.

With 11:10 to go in the third, the Islanders top line, after a strong breakout, found themselves on an odd-man rush. The passing on this play was superb, as captain Anders Lee picked up his fourth goal of the postseason.

With a 3-0 lead, the Islanders had this game in the bag. The Flyers were lifeless.

Alain Vigneault, the head coach of the Flyers, decided to make an interesting move with just under eight minutes to go. He decided to pull Hart and see if he could get his offense going.

However, that plan completely backfired, as Devon Toews, from downtown, got a fortuitous bounce off the boards to give his team a 4-0 lead.

For Vigneault,  this move showed the little confidence he had in his team. Down 3-0 with over seven minutes to play is not a good spot to be in, but not an impossible feat to overcome. We have seen it late in games throughout the playoffs this year. Pulling his goaltender with that much time left would only work if his team could have scored immediately. But with too much time left on the clock, this Flyer team was not going to be able to hold off the Islanders from scoring into the vacant net.

I would have waited until the scoreboard read 4:00, but I am not the coach and he gets paid the big bucks for a reason.

The only bright spot in this game for the Flyers was the play of Hart in net. He made some incredible saves in this one, battling all night long to keep his team within striking distance. He was kicking aside rebounds left and right, truly standing on his head to keep this one close.

He was able to stop 25 of 28 shots in the loss, and his team could not have ask for a better effort.

Final Thoughts

For the Flyers their goal-scoring woes continue. Despite beating the Montreal Canadiens in six games (4-2), the Flyers scored, on average, 1.83 goals per game. They were actually outscored in the series 13-9, but the man above was the reason the team from Philadelphia advanced. Tonight, their offense went completely dry, not being able to muster anything against this dominant Islander defense.

For the Islanders, they continued where they left off. When this team scores first, they are deadly due to the defensive system head coach Barry Trotz has in place. One goal for the Islanders was generating a lot of shots towards Hart early, as last time he played the Islanders (back in Oct.) he was chased from the net.

While Hart played well, he could only do so much as the Islanders brought the pressure from the opening faceoff and made the most of their offensive-zone time. Puck drop for Game 2 is scheduled for Wed. at 3PM on NBC Sports Network.