By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor
For the second time in as many nights on Thursday, the Flyers found themselves furiously rallying, down by a goal with an empty net late in the third period.
On a power play with 57.1 seconds to play, Jakub Voracek stuffed a rebound past Jaroslav Halak to even the score. It had looked like Dennis Seidenberg's tally at 12:55 of the third stanza would stand as the game-winner for the Islanders, but the Flyers rallied en route to a 3-2 shootout win.
Despite a litany of chances on another power play in the extra stanza, the Flyers couldn't convert. Wayne Simmonds sneaked in alone on Halak early in the extra stanza, but couldn't quite finish his opportunity. Subsequently, the Flyers settled the game with their second shootout of the season.
Just moments after returning from taking a Casey Cizikas stick to the face — setting up the aforementioned power play late in the third — Claude Giroux deked around Halak to tuck the lone shootout goal by. Michal Neuvirth then made the stop on John Tavares' attempt, sealing the victory for the Orange and Black.
Savor this one while it lasts. The Flyers have been victorious in both of their shutouts this season.
More than half of the game had been scoreless, until Travis Konecny broke free to open the scoring at 11:11 of the second period. A wide-open Tavares tied the game on a power play with 28.5 seconds left in the frame, and the game stayed deadlocked until Seidenberg's goal.
In all, Halak turned away 34 Flyers shots, while Neuvirth stopped 25 of 27 pucks. The Flyers capitalized on one of five power-play chances, while the Islanders cashed in on one of three.
While Giroux did tally the shootout-winner, he didn't record any points in regulation, bringing an end to his career-high 10-game points streak. He did give the Flyers their two points, though, which is more than a valiant trade-off.
The Flyers' brief road swing continues Saturday, when the travel to la belle province for a matchup with the Montreal Canadiens.
