Flyers, Canucks both force Game 7s
The Philadelphia Flyers credit Oskar Lindblom’s fight against bone cancer for inspiring them all year. Having him back in a game for the first time in nearly nine months provided a big emotional lift in a key playoff game.
Ivan Provorov scored at 15:03 of the second overtime, and the Flyers beat the New York Islanders 5-4 on Thursday night to force a deciding Game 7.
“All season he’s been (an inspiration), not just tonight,” goalie Carter Hart said of Lindblom. “Him coming in the lineup and playing definitely gives our team a huge boost of energy . ... It’s pretty amazing what he’s gone through and how much he’s overcome and persevered.”
Kevin Hayes, James van Riemsdyk, Michael Raffl and Scott Laughton also scored for Philadelphia, and Hart made a career-high 49 saves.
Mathew Barzal and Derick Brassard each had a goal and an assist, and Anders Lee and Matt Martin also scored for New York, which trailed 2-0 midway through the first period before taking leads of 3-2 and 4-3. Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots.
Game 7 is Saturday, with the winner advancing to face Tampa Bay in the conference finals
Lindblom played for the first time since Dec. 7. The 24-year-old forward was diagnosed with a bone cancer and was undergoing radiation treatments that finished July 2. He rejoined the team in Toronto last month during the Flyers’ series against Montreal.
“We started talking a little bit (Wednesday) and took a decision today,” Lindblom said of playing. “It’s hard to step in a playoff game, especially these that we have to win, but we tried to grind it out and luckily we came out with a win.”
Canucks stay alive against Golden Knights
Thatcher Demko stopped 48 shots, and the Vancouver Canucks staved off elimination for the second straight game with a 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.
The Western Conference semifinal series was tied at 3 games apiece headed into Game 7 Friday night.
J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes each had a goal and an assist, Jake Virtanen also scored, and Bo Horvat added an empty-net goal with 4½ minutes left.
Anti-racism initiatives
The NHL on Thursday unveiled a series of anti-racism initiatives more than eight months after Akim Aliu brought the topic to the forefront in the predominantly white sport.
The league and NHL Players’ Association are planning mandatory inclusion and diversity training for all players at camp, partnering with the Hockey Diversity Alliance to launch a grassroots program for young players of color in the Toronto area, and working together on several inclusion committees aimed at encouraging diversity among executives, pro and youth players and fans.