Nelson scores twice as Islanders edge Flyers
NEW YORK — Brock Nelson had two goals, Anders Lee also scored and the New York Islanders beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Wednesday night.
Pierre Engvall and Adam Pelech each had two assists, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 34 shots to help the Islanders win their second straight after losing seven in a row (0-4-3).
The Islanders are 12-2-0 in the last 14 games against the Flyers and have won eight straight home games against Philadelphia. It was New York's first home win since Oct. 26. They had lost four in a row at UBS Arena.
"Those were two big points against a division rival," said Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck, who played his 1,000th career game. "These nights are great for team chemistry."
Cam York and Joel Farabee scored for the Flyers, who had their five-game winning streak snapped. Carter Hart finished with 22 saves.
The resurgent Flyers lost for just the second time in their last six road games.
"We played hard," Flyers coach John Tortorella said. "We made a couple of mistakes that ended up in our net. Their goalie made some key saves ... You win five, you lose one. You get ready for your next game and try to be better in certain areas."
Lee opened the scoring at 1:49 of the first with his third goal of the season.
Nelson made it 2-0 with 6:50 left in the second, tipping a high shot from the point from Pelech past Hart.
York got the Flyers on the board 1:08 later as he backhanded the puck past Sorokin on a second effort for his third.
Nelson scored again at 2:33 of third, getting a crisp cross-ice pass from Engvall before sliding the puck past Hart for his team-leading 10th.
"We wanted to be aggressive and play smart at the same time," Nelson said. "It feels good for everyone to know we won this one for Cal, a testament to him and his longevity. A special night for him."
Sorokin improved to 5-3-4 as he made 13 stops in each of the last two periods.
"They are good team. They are disciplined and smart," Sorokin said. "It was key for us to get the first goal."
Farabee made it 3-2 with 4:04 left in regulation with his eighth.
"We fought to the end," Hart said. "We'll have a break for Thanksgiving and come back strong for the Rangers on Friday."
The 36-year-old Clutterbuck has been with the Islanders since 2013-14. He has played 654 games with the Islanders, the rest for Minnesota. Clutterbuck waved to the UBS crowd from the bench from the bench during a second-period tribute. He nearly scored an empty-net goal in the closing seconds.
"It feels like yesterday and 50 years ago,'' Clutterbuck said of reaching his milestone game in a career that started with the Wild drafting him in 2006. "I'm grateful to do it here in front of our fans. They have supported me for a decade."
UP NEXT
Flyers: Host the New York Rangers on Friday before returning to UBS Arena to face the Islanders on Saturday.
Islanders: At Ottawa on Friday.
