Game 7 Notebook: Isles Advance to Conference Finals After 4-0 Win

For the first time since 1993, the New York Islanders are going to the Eastern Conference Final.
The Isles punched their ticket to the third round with a4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in a do-or-die Game 7, shaking off consecutive losses in Games 5 and 6 with a statement win.
Scott Mayfield, Andy Greene, Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier scored for the Isles, while Thomas Greiss stopped 16shotsfor a shutout. If there were any nerves with their season on the line, the Isles channeled the energy beautifully by putting on a defensive clinic. In their biggest game of the year, the Isles held the Flyers to 16 shots - the fewest shots against they'd allowed in the playoffs.

"We didn't get small by the moment, we got big by the moment," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "It was a big moment Game 7 and we got big."
The Islanders will now meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final, starting with Game 1 on Monday night in the Edmonton bubble.

Video: Islanders rout Flyers in Game 7 to advance to ECF

ISLES RESPOND WITH DOMINANT WIN:

After a pair of OT losses in Games 5 and 6, Trotz told his team not to fear Game 7. Sure, the season on the line is a scary proposition, but it's also an opportunity. The coach figured that a little adversity would have to be overcome eventually and told his squad to have fun and enjoy the moment. If they stayed to their identity and played for each other, the rest would take care of itself.
The Isles heeded the coach's message and put on a clinic, playing their defensive game to a tee. The 16 shots allowed was a playoff low for the Isles, while they scored three-or-more for an eighth-consecutive game, as their offense continues to rumble along.
"You have to go through adversity to grow as a group," Trotz said. "We haven't had a lot of adversity through the playoffs. We've been able to get things done fairly efficiently. I thought from a standpoint, this is part of the growing aspect. I thought last game we probably deserved to win and that laid a real good foundation for our game tonight... We wore a lot of their people down, especially on the back end. I liked the way we played, I liked our mentality today and we stayed to our identity."

UNLIKELY HEROES POWER WIN:

On Saturday morning, Trotz said someone was going to be a hero that night and the Isles had a pair of unlikely ones on their first two goals.
Mayfield's first-career playoff goal - in his 26th playoff game - opened the scoring at 9:27, as his sharp, far-side wrister eluded Carter Hart. The goal held up as the game-winner and was poetic justice for Mayfield, whose stick snapped in half on the sequence that led to the Flyers double-OT winner on Thursday night.
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"I was kind of down the past couple of days after breaking my stick there in OT, so it was a confidence boost," Mayfield said. "Game-winner in Game 7 to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, I don't think anyone thought I'd be scoring it."
Greene, a defensive-defenseman by trade, made it 2-0 at 13:12, shooting into an empty net after a crafty setup from Derick Brassard. Brassard showed great patience with the puck, letting a screen develop in front of Hart before threading a pass over to the pinching d-man. The goalie didn't see the pass before it was too late, leaving Greene with the easy finish.
With the goals, Mayfield and Greene became the second and third Isles' d-men to score in a Game 7, joining Denis Potvin (1978 quarterfinals, 1987 division final).
The Islanders turned up the heat in the second period, outshooting the Flyers 6-1 in the first 10 minutes, not including a pair of posts from Anthony Beauvillier and Philippe Myers. Nelson made it 3-0 at 11:26, finishing off a two-on-one rush with Josh Bailey.
Nelson's goal was his seventh of the postseason, while Bailey picked up his team-leading 14th assist and 16th point. Nelson finished the game with three points (1G, 2A).
The ice was tilted heavily in the Isles favor through 40 minutes, with only a handful of Flyers chances causing some tension. Jakub Voracek redirected a Sean Couturier shot off the post in the opening minutes, but after the Isles avoided a nearly-disastrous start, they controlled a bulk of the game.
The game script went according to plan for the Isles, who netted at least three goals for an eighth-straight game, and got back to their stingy defensive identity. They continued to press in the third period, with Beauvillier icing the game with an empty-netter at 13:42 and even then, they continued to push forward.
"Whenever you have a lead you can't sit back," Nelson said. "It was nice to get that third one and go up a bit more... We did a good job staying on it and not sitting back and kind of waiting for a wave from them."

GREISS GETS GAME 7 START:

A Game 7 assignment might be too big for most backups, but not for Thomas Greiss who stopped 16 shots for a shutout in his second start of the postseason - and first-career Game 7 start.
The Isles went to Greiss after consecutive losses by Semyon Varlamov in Games 5 and 6, as Trotz sought some freshness in the crease, citing the large workload Varlamov had previously handled. While the Isles held the Flyers to 16 shots,Greiss was big when the Isles needed. Up 3-0 in the second period, Greiss denied Kevin Hayes in alone, while Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech combined to stop Oskar Lindblom's rebound attempt to keep Philadelphia at bay. When the Flyers pressed in the third period, Greiss was his unflappable self, stopping all seven shots.
"That was the best defensive game I've ever seen a team play," Greiss said, deflecting the praise at the postgame presser.
Greiss's shutout was the Isles first in Game 7 since Chico Resch vs the Penguins in 1975.

Tweet from @NYIslanders: MOVIN��� ON!! 🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/rpCSx8dYqy

CONFERENCE FINALS BOUND:

As jacked up as the Islanders were in the immediate aftermath of their Game 7 win, their focus was already shifting to the Tampa Bay Lightning. While this was the furthest that the homegrown Isles had ever been in the playoffs, Trotz knows that it's only halfway to the final goal of winning a Stanley Cup.
"You have to celebrate the moments because those moments don't come by very much and I don't mean go crazy or anything, but I think you recognize and understand that you took another step," Trotz said. "There's a bit of a celebration, but we understand that we're halfway... We've won three playoff rounds and we're going to play a very good Tampa team here. They're focused and deep and we're going to have to come up with a way to try and get by them. I think our guys are up for the challenge. Our team has grown. We understand that there's a certain way playoff hockey is and we've been able to win a few series the past two years."
For players like Nelson, the meaning of the moment has been sinking in after seeing reactions from fans back on Long Island.
"It's special, obviously the end goal is still out there, but it's still a big day and a big win for us," Nelson said. "Guys work their whole life to get this opportunity and get this far and advance on and win a Stanley Cup. The fanbase is passionate and always talks about the wins back in the 1980s and the teams and guys who won Cups. You can see how much it means to them, the community. Those guys are heroes. Everyone in the room now is striving to be a part of some history like that and write our own little chapter."

Video: NYI@PHI, Gm7: Isles, Flyers shake hands at center ice

DAL COLLE IN, KOMAROV OUT:

Michael Dal Colle drew into the Islanders lineup, replacing Leo Komarov. Dal Colle had made one previous appearance in this year's playoffs, dressing for Game 5 vs Washington.

COUTURIER IN, GRANT OUT:

After missing Game 6 with an sprained MCL, Sean Couturier was back in the lineup for Game 7. Fourth-line center Derek Grant came out of the Flyers lineup.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night. Puck drop is at 8 p.m.