Sorokin stops 27 as Islanders down Flyers 4-0
Scott Mayfield, Brock Nelson and rookie defenseman Samuel Bolduc each scored and Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves as the New York Islanders kept pace in the Eastern Conference wild-card race with a 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
Hudson Fasching also scored for the Islanders who stayed ahead of Pittsburgh by one point and remained tied with Florida in a season-finishing sprint for the two remaining wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference.
Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom each had two assists for New York who improved 4-0-0 against the Flyers at UBS Arena and have won seven straight home games overall against the Flyers, who will miss the playoffs for the third straight season and the fourth time in five years.
Mayfield scored his sixth goal of the season at 14:19 of the first when his shot from the point eluded Flyers goaltender Carter Hart.
Nelson made it 2-0 at 7:50 of the second, firing his 34th goal past Hart from the off-wing after accepting a pass from Noah Dobson. Nelson also had a goal and two assists in Thursday's 6-1 home win over Tampa Bay.
Bolduc increased the lead to three with his second goal of the season at 15:06 of the second with assists from Horvat and Holmstrom, who both also assisted on Mayfield's goal.
Fasching completed the scoring at 18:21 of the third with his eighth goal.
Sorokin's shutout was his sixth this season and the 16th of his career as the 27-year-old Russian netminder improved to 30-21-7. Sorokin also became the first Islanders goalie to appear in 60 games since Rick DiPietro, who did so in three consecutive seasons from 2005-06 to 2007-08.
The Panthers and Islanders are tied with 91 points as Florida edged Washington 4-2 on Saturday night. Pittsburgh beat Detroit 5-1 earlier Saturday. The Penguins have 90 points.
All three teams have two games remaining.
The Islanders won this season's first meeting at UBS Arena – 5-2 on Nov. 26 - then split two games in Philadelphia. New York lost 3-1 on Nov. 29 and won 2-1 in Bo Horvat's Islander debut on Feb. 6.
The Islanders are 18-8-4 in their last 30 games and 12-4-0 in their last 16 home games.
Islanders forward Zach Parise played in his 162nd consecutive game with the team. The 38-year-old forward has played in every game since joining the Islanders in October 2021. He has 21 goals and 33 points overall this season, his 18th in the NHL.
WANG SERVICE AWARD: Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling received the first Charles B. Wang Community Service Award, named in honor of the team's former owner who passed in 2018. Wang was well known for his philanthropic efforts and his namesake award recognizes leaders who have positively impacted the lives of individuals, families or the community at large. The Islanders Children's Foundation and the Charles B. Wang Foundation will each donate $50,000 to Northwell in Dowling's honor.
NOTES: The Islanders were without injured forward Mathew Barzal for the 21st straight game. The Islanders also scratched forwards Josh Bailey and Ross Johnston plus defensemen Alexander Romanov and Parker Wotherspoon. Bailey remained four games behind Hall of Fame defenseman Denis Potvin (1,060) for second place on the Islanders' games played list. The Flyers scratched forward Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Tony DeAngelo.
UP NEXT
Flyers: Host Boston Bruins on Sunday.
Islanders: Visit Washington Capitals on Monday.
