Notebook: Isles Rally For 3-2 OT Win Over Flyers

The New York Islanders battled back to score a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at NYCB Live - Nassau Coliseum. It may have only been the second preseason game on the schedule, but on the ice the battle was hard-fought as both teams drew blood, but it was the Islanders who came out on top in three-on-three overtime, thanks to Mason Jobst.
BOXSCORE | HIGHLIGHTS

"It was a good response," Islanders captain Anders Lee said. "We started pretty slow tonight, not where wanted to be, but once we figured it out and got back to our game, we turned the tide on things a bit. Give them credit for the start they had, their mentality was right from the get-go and we had to fix ours a bit. Sometimes preseason has little road bumps, but if you have a win, you fought through them. I thought some guys really showed a lot of confidence out there and played some really good hockey. Our young guys have some bright futures ahead of them and they are just getting their feet wet."

Jobst, who signed with the Islanders as free agent out of Ohio State University, scored the OT winner at 4:07 of the extra frame. Jobst, a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker last season, deposited the rebound from Lee as he sealed the game on the doorstep.
"That was a pretty cool moment to be out on the ice in three-on-three gave me a little bit of confidence," Jobst said. "I just went to the net hard and that was a pretty lucky bounce."
For the 25-year-old Jobst, scoring the game-winner was surreal experience and having the opportunity to take the ice in overtime - a reward from Trotz for a strong game - gave him an added boost.

"It just gives you confidence and shows that they believe in me and my skill set," Jobst said. "They are giving me that chance and opportunity. It's the same with the power play. It's good to far, just have to build off tonight.
Derick Brassard and Jordan Eberle got the Islanders' first and second goals, as the team ralled from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits in the third period, while Michael Raffl and Chris Bigras scored for the Flyers. The Isles split the pipes between Thomas Greiss and Jared Coreau. Greiss got the starting nod and made 14 saves while Coreau stopped 10 shots.

ISLES PAIR PROSPECTS WITH VETERANS:

Results aside, preseason provides the coaching staff with opportunities to examine and experiment with the lines and pairings and provide players with chances to prove themselves. Trotz noted the coaching staff strategically split veterans up with a younger player. Up top, Brassard centered the Isles' second line alongside Michael Dal Colle and Oliver Wahlstrom. Jobst centered the Islanders' fourth line with veteran Steve Bernier and longtime AHLer Ryan Bourque.
On the blueline, Noah Dobson saw action alongside Nick Leddy, a pairing that's spent a couple of practices together. Dobson also quarterbacked the Isles power play and was sent over the boards during overtime.

"[Leddy] was really vocal and helpful," Dobson said. "I wasn't as confident with the puck early on, but I thought as the game went on, I got more comfortable with it. It's one of those things where once you get a couple of periods under your boot you get more comfortable. By the third period I felt like I was playing well and playing confident. That's when I'm at my best with the puck."
For the Isles' 2019 second-round pick (57th overall) Samuel Bolduc, who is just 18 years old, his pairing alongside Ryan Pulock also boosted his confidence. Bolduc, who stands 6-foot-4 and 212-pounds, plays a similar style to Pulock.
"[Pulock] helped a lot. He's easy to talk to," Bolduc said. "I was nervous at first, but just played with him. I thought I played OK tonight. It was an amazing night, playing in front of that crowd and in a game like that."

SWITCHING UP SPECIAL TEAMS:

The chippy contest administered 10 penalties combined between both teams, but presented the Isles special teams the opportunity to tweak combinations. Before the game, Trotz noted that special teams, specifically the penalty kill, would experiment with trying a variety of skaters in the mix. That proposal was confirmed as Mathew Barzal saw time - 49 seconds - on the shorthanded unit.
"You're going to see guys killing penalties that you've never seen before," Trotz said pregame. "That's the growth pattern. You're always looking at each individual player. If they have a role five-on-five and maybe they get some special team work. Or maybe they don't have anything and you just give them the opportunity to add something to their tool box a little bit and see who's going to do that."

NOTABLES:

Derick Brassard made his unofficial debut for the Islanders after signing as an unrestricted free agent on Aug. 21.
Ross Johnston dropped the gloves with Kurtis Gabriel with five-minutes remaining in the second period. Both players received a five-minute major and Johnston also was issued an additional game misconduct.
Mathew Barzal had a game-high two assists.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders take on the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night in the Motor City. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.