PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers continued their hot September on Friday, with a convincing 5-2 win over the New York Islanders.
Brayden Schenn scored his third goal of the preseason in the second period, while Shayne Gostisbehere continued to make a strong case for the top-six with his third preseason goal as well. Yevgeni Medvedev turned in a pair of assists, to boot.
The Islanders started the scoring at 9:40 of the first period, as Bracken Kearns scored a powerplay after a spinning setup from Mike Halmo — a setup that saw Halmo motor by Michael Del Zotto and feed Kearns across the slot. It wasn't long before the Flyers were able to counter though, as Chris Porter scored his first preseason goal one minute and four seconds later (with Medvedev adding his first assist of the evening).
Gostisbehere scored his goal at 15:47 of the first stanza, on a blast from the point. The tally gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead, which they would not yield for the rest of the game.
Schenn's power-play tally and a Michael Raffl goal from an awkward angle along the blueline at 4:28 of the second period made it a 4-1 game, but Casey Cizikas scored off a slapshot from the faceoff circle to make it a 4-2 game. That would ultimately prove to be the Islanders' final goal for the evening.
The Orange and Black also continued their stellar powerplay, converting on 2 of 5 opportunities. That brings their total to 7 of 16 for the preseason — 43.8 percent.
The penalty kill also had plenty of opportunities, as the Flyers found themselves shorthanded on six opportunities (one of which was a Chris VandeVelde double minor for high-sticking). Ultimately, the Isles scored on just one attempt (their second man-advantage of the game).
Christopher Poulin made 16 saves on 20 shots, and was pulled after the second period. Kevin Poulin saved five of six shots in relief, while Michal Neuvirth stopped 23 of 25 pucks.
Shots on goal were neck-and-neck throughout the game, with the Flyers leading by as much as six shots. Ultimately, the Flyers finished with a slim 26-25 margin.
The Orange and Black improve to 3-1 on the preseason and 2-1 against the Islanders, with their next preseason game set for Monday against the New York Rangers. They next face the Isles on Nov. 15 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
Additionally, the Flyers skipped the 3-on-3 overtime period in order to let fans leave before major area roadways were closed. Fans also enjoyed free food and drinks, as well as significant merchandise discounts.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
