Simmonds and Mason come up big in wild win over Islanders
PHILADELPHIA >> Wayne Simmonds didn’t know the puck went in, because he was too busy reeling in pain. At least that meant his 30th goal of the season wouldn’t be easily forgotten.
Simmonds took a bullet and kept on ticking Thursday night, a painful byproduct of his effective habit of literally jumping vertically to block the view of an opposing goaltender. His latest leap perfectly coincided with Shayne Gostisbehere’s rising rocket of a shot from the point in the first period, cracking right off Simmonds’ right knee before magically bouncing off New York Islanders defenseman Johnny Boychuk, then reverse-rebounding into the net. It came during a memorable five-goal first-period spree for the Flyers in what would end in a 6-3 victory over the Isles.
For Simmonds, however, it wasn’t the worst way to break the 30-goal mark.
“No, I scored one off my face once,” Simmonds said with etched sincerity on that mug. “(This) one hurt pretty good, though.”
For Simmonds and the Flyers, that better-than-ever first period will stay with them no matter how many goals go off knees or faces, no matter how far all this pain and gain gets them in their desperate struggle to get to the playoffs.
With their third straight win, a sixth victory in nine games, the Flyers moved to 3732-8. But they didn’t get any closer to the playoffs.
Oh, they did move into a virtual tie with the Islanders, who also have 82 points but with one game in hand over the Flyers. But both teams are in pursuit of the Boston Bruins, current eighth-and-final playoff spot residents. Those Bruins won again Thursday night. And so did Toronto (89 points), the team in front of them in the Atlantic Division. And so did the Bruins’ nearest wild card pursuers Tampa Bay (85 points) and Carolina (84 points).
For all their recent success then, the Flyers still are staring at an early spring. That hurts pretty good, too. “We did this to ourselves,” Simmonds said. “For us it’s just try to win every single game and hopefully we can get some help. So we’re just going to continue to go at it and continue to play strong hockey.”
Along the way, both Simmonds and Dale Weise registered the old “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” of a goal, an assist and a fight. Both of them did it in that same first period against the embarrassed Isles.
“That’s pretty cool,” Simmonds said. What wasn’t so fine was the way the Flyers played in the second period — getting outshot by 22-3. At least that drastic turnaround only resulted in one Islanders goal.
“You never think you’d score five goals in one period,” Simmonds said, “but I think we did the right things. We played well. I wish we’d played that way in the second period.”
There are regrets that go beyond a simple period or two, but those two periods Thursday night reminded the Flyers’ fans what kind of team they have here ... one that is entertaining in the most inconsistent of ways.
*** Claude Giroux had to admit he was a very lucky guy Thursday night. Giroux was hanging out in the badly defended Islanders’ zone in the first period when 21-year-old Joshua Ho-Sang tried to lift Giroux’s stick. Instead, he whiffed and whipped his stick up under Giroux’s face shield.
It would go for a four-minute double-minor highsticking. It would also leave Giroux with a little cut ... on his eyelid.
“Happened out of nowhere,” Giroux said. “The stick kind of hit me in the eye. It was pretty scary. I got pretty lucky.” He also didn’t get any stitches.
*** NOTES >> After being spotted a 5-0 lead after one period, Steve Mason would allow three goals — the third a fluke that dribbled down his back. But he also made 38 saves . ... Simmonds has hit the 30-goal plateau two seasons in a row now. His next goal would be his 120th over his past four seasons, an average of 30 per.