PHILADELPHIA — The Islanders have played almost flawless hockey for over a month.
On Saturday night, they had a perfect response in the third period to keep their dominant run going.
Anthony Beauvillier scored twice during New York’s three-goal, third-period rally, and the Islanders beat the Flyers 4-3 in a shootout.
Beauvillier and Mathew Barzal combined to erase a 3-0 deficit in the final 13 minutes of regulation, and Jordan Eberle and Barzal scored in the shootout.
“We just wanted to make something happen,” said Beauvillier, who has scored four goals in the last two games and six on the season. “The good bounces came our way and we picked up a good win.”
The Islanders are on a 13-0-1 roll that’s vaulted them into second place in the Metropolitan Division behind Washington. It’s the Islanders’ longest stretch without a regulation loss since a 15-game run in 1982.
“I don’t know what it is with this group, but we just knew we were going to be in the fight till the end,” Barzal said. “That is what we did tonight.”
“The great thing about this group is they realize that they have to put the work in to get the results,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “Because of that, we are getting some results. It’s easy to pat yourself on the back, we’ve gotten points in a number of games. It’s hard to do in this league, but we don’t really concern ourselves about that.”
After getting stymied by goaltender Brian Elliott for most of the evening, the Islanders broke through when Beauvillier took advantage of the Flyers’ sloppy line change before beating Elliott.
Barzal slammed one past Elliott on a power play with 6:22 left, and Beauvillier got his fourth goal in two games with 2:04 left.
“It’s a good bounce, one of those bounces where you’re just happy to have when they come,” Beauvillier said.
Thomas Greiss stopped 28 shots and turned away Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux in the shootout to earn his seventh straight win.
“I’m definitely feeling good about my game, just try to battle every night and the guys played late tonight especially the second or so period and found a way to win the game,” Greiss said.
On the flip side, the Flyers appeared to suffer the effects of playing on back-to-back nights, falling flat in the third period. Barzal’s goal came as a result of a bench minor for too many men on the ice. The Islanders were able to take aim at Elliott through the back half of the game as Philadelphia struggled to get its defensemen in the right spot.
“You have to close out games,” Elliott said. “The little plays — getting the puck out when you can, allowing guys to change, just keeping fresh bodies on the ice and not getting stuck out there. We spent a little too much time doing that. We will look at it and I’m sure we will find some other things, too.”
Couturier got the game’s first goal on a wrist shot that deflected off defenseman Nick Leddy’s stick in the first period.
Ivan Provorov scored on a power play with 24 seconds left in the first. He one-timed Couturier’s feed for his fourth goal of the season.
Oskar Lindblom added his ninth of the season midway through the second period.