Islanders defeat Flyers in shootout in first game after trade

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders won 3-2 in a shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers at Nassau Coliseum on Thursday in their first game after trading for forwards Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac.

Brock Nelson scored and had the only goal in the shootout for the Islanders (26-10-4), who have won four in a row. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves and stopped all five shootout attempts.
"We came out pretty good and got the early lead, something we've been talking about and want to do more of," Nelson said. "But I think tonight, we maybe took our foot off a bit, they had some chances. The five-minute power play (in the first period), we really didn't get much on it for momentum. You'd like to get something out of that. They were able to kind of find one, get a weird one and get back into it, and then the second period they probably outplayed us. Some nights it's not always going to go your way, it's going to be tough. It's nice that we're in here now on top."
Palmieri had two shots on goal in 15:11 of ice time, and Zajac had one shot in 12:34 the day after being traded by the New Jersey Devils. They played on a line with center Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
"Obviously, in the last 24 hours there was a lot of emotion," Palmieri said. "A lot going on, but I got to meet everybody this morning and everyone was so welcoming. To be a part of a team like that that cares about each other and plays for each other, it was evident the second I walked in the locker room. That's exciting for any player to be a part of."
Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers (18-15-6), who have lost four of their past five games (1-2-2). Carter Hart made 21 saves.
"It is frustrating. We've got to find [a way] to win those games," Voracek said. "You have no other choice [but to] kind of stay focused. Obviously, if you get four, five wins in a row, you are right in the mix. That's keeping us alive. Hopefully we are going to put it together. We have to. We have no other choice."

Nelson scored his 15th goal of the season when Ryan Pulock fed him in the right circle for a one-timer to give New York a 1-0 lead at 6:10 of the first period.
Jordan Eberle made it 2-0 at 7:13 off a feed from Leo Komarov after Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov lost his balance along the left boards.
Aube-Kubel cut it to 2-1 when Sorokin whiffed on his wrist shot from beyond the right circle at 13:53, and Voracek tied it 2-2 at 3:22 of the second period with a shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 with Claude Giroux.
"Not an easy situation to start," Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault said. "Not because our guys weren't doing the right things. We battled back hard, we're competing, we're trying every shift, nobody put their heads down."
Hart kept the game tied when he got his left pad on Anthony Beauvillier's backhand after an end-to-end rush during a power play at 16:43 of the second. Sorokin responded by making 10 saves in the third period before making a glove save on Nolan Patrick in the second round of the shootout.
Each of Sorokin's past four wins have been against the Flyers.
"I think his confidence every time he goes in the net is growing," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. "We're fortunate we have two goaltenders (Semyon Varlamov). You look at this month and the competition that we're up against, it's going to be vital for us to have any success."
Flyers defenseman Samuel Morin was assessed a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct for a hit against Islanders center Casey Cizikas at 7:27 of the first period. Cizikas briefly went to the locker room but was able to return.
"Questionable hit for sure; he was vulnerable," Trotz said. "It was the right call, no question. … They were working harder on the penalty kill then we were working on the power play. Therefore, they got momentum off of that and we sort of let them off the hook. Anytime that someone lets you off the floor, they can get up and punch you back in the nose, and they almost did tonight. I thought they played a much better game than we did."
NOTES:The Islanders have a .900 points percentage at home (17-1-2) this season, the highest in the NHL. … New York was 0-for-3 on the power play, including one for the final 1:58 of overtime. … Flyers defenseman Robert Hagg had three shots and was plus-1 in 22:03 of ice time in his return after missing 11 games with a shoulder injury. Defenseman Philippe Myers was a healthy scratch. … Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom did not play; Trotz said he was available.