The Islanders came into Philadelphia on Monday night outmanned and reeling, having lost their past two games by a combined score of 9-1.<\/p>\n
For a team that hadn\u2019t lost three straight games in regulation since the first three games of the season, and for a team that would have gone below the playoff cutline with a defeat, this was a game they needed in the worst sort of way.<\/p>\n
Down Simon Holmstrom, Cal Ritchie and Ryan Pulock with a combination of illness and injury, the Islanders showed their resilience anyway, defeating the Flyers 4-0 at Wells Fargo Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe approached the game like it was a playoff game,\u201d Jean-Gabriel Pageau told reporters after a two-goal performance. \u201cAnd I thought we played an extremely solid game. Of course, when your goalie gives zero, it helps a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
This performance had so much of what the Islanders have lacked recently.<\/p>\n
Jean-Gabriel Pageau #44 of the New York Islanders celebrates his first period shorthanded goal against the Philadelphia Flyers with Casey Cizikas #53 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 26, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Islanders dominated on special teams. They held the puck in the offensive zone and played off the cycle. They cut down on high-danger chances around Ilya Sorokin\u2019s crease, helping him to a 21-save shutout.<\/p>\n
That is what they will need to do, again and again, if they are going to stay above the playoff cutline and make some noise in the tournament itself.<\/p>\n
Coach Patrick Roy\u2019s constant reshuffling of the lines finally seemed to land on some combinations that did the trick here. Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair had exactly the right response to their third-period benching on Saturday, playing most of the night up ice on a line with Jonathan Drouin. The trio produced a goal when Barzal tipped Isaiah George\u2019s shot from the right point past Sam Ersson to make it a 2-0 game 5:41 into the second.<\/p>\n
That was sandwiched between a pair of special teams goals, the first of which came from Pageau shorthanded at 14:29 of the first. Pageau took Casey Cizikas\u2019 expertly spun feed off the wall and went bar-down to open the scoring.<\/p>\n
Barzal then got his second point of the night on the power play, assisting Tony DeAngelo off the rush to make it 3-0 at 12:50 of the second. Ironically, that counted for DeAngelo\u2019s first power play goal as an Islander. And, as Roy noted, the play was sprung by an active backchecking effort from Duclair.<\/p>\n
Islanders center Mathew Barzal (13) in action against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
The Flyers didn\u2019t come up with much as far as a potential comeback, and Pageau\u2019s second goal of the night made it a 4-0 game at 13:38 of the third. Maxim Tsyplakov\u2019s feed off the wall to set up Pageau was just his second point and first assist of the year.<\/p>\n
The reunited fourth line of Marc Gatcomb, Cizikas and Kyle MacLean did its usual good work, while Emil Heineman and Bo Horvat clicked well on the second line. Max Shabanov got better alongside them as the game went on, as did Tsyplakov with Pageau and Anders Lee. The Islanders will hope that Tsyplakov \u2014 filling in for Holmstrom, who was a late scratch with illness \u2014 gets a much-needed confidence boost from putting a point on the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one of his best games this year,\u201d Roy told reporters of Tsyplakov. \u201c\u2026 Might not be easy at times, but he played really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sorokin, for once, was not under fire all night. His sixth shutout of the year required just 21 saves for comparatively little stress.<\/p>\n
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOn the ice from Long Island\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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