ISLES ONE WIN AWAY
Look to lock up series on Tuesday
TORONTO — Jean Gabriel Pageau scored the go-ahead goal 7:18 into the third period and the Islanders moved within one win of advancing to the Eastern Conference finals with a 3-2 victory over the Flyers on Sunday night.
Brock Nelson scored twice, both set up by Josh Bailey, and the Is- landers gained a
3-1 lead in the bestof-seven secondround series with Game 5 set for Tuesday night. The Islanders are seeking to make their first conference finals appearance since 1993, when they lost to Montreal in six games.
Backup goalie Thomas Greiss stopped 36 shots in making his first start of the playoffs in a game both teams rested their starting goalies while playing on consecutive nights. Playing in place of Semyon Varlamov, it was Greiss’ first start since a 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina on March 7, and second appearance this postseason.
Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov scored for the East’s top-seeded Flyers, who were coming off a 3-1 loss on Saturday. Philadelphia lost consecutive games for the first time since an 0-3-1 skid from Dec. 31Jan. 7.
Though Provorov scored with 64 seconds left and the Flyers’ net empty, Philadelphia managed just one more shot on net, as the Islanders controlled the puck in their own corner for much of the final 20 seconds.
Philadelphia’s Brian Elliott stopped 30 shots in place of Carter Hart. It was Elliott’s third appearance this postseason, and second start after he stopped 16 shots in a 3-1 victory over Washington in a preliminary round-robin game on Aug. 6.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield jumped into the rush to set up the go-ahead goal. Accepting a pass from Devon Toews, Mayfield fed Pageau for a breakaway. Pageau drove down the middle and sneaked a shot through Elliott’s legs, with the puck having enough spin on it to dribble over the goal line.
Nelson made it 3-1, scoring four-minutes later by completing a give-and-go with Bailey on a two-on-one break. Driving the Flyers zone up the right wing, Nelson fed Bailey, who returned the pass allowing Nelson to tap the puck in the open left side.
The Flyers’ offense has essentially dried up, with captain Claude Giroux having yet to score this postseason.
After combining for 11 goals in sweeping the playoff-opening round-robin series, Philadelphia has managed just 18 in its past 10 outings.