Flyers Win Epic Double Overtime Battle To Force Game 7

PHILADELPHIA, PA — They blew an early lead and were outshot nearly two to one, but for the second straight game, the Philadelphia Flyers have prevailed in overtime.

Their victory came at the end of the second overtime period, following 35 minutes of sudden death hockey when any Islanders goal would have ended the Flyers season. The win evens the best of seven series up at 3-3, and forces a decisive Game 7 on Saturday night.

The game winning goal came toward the end of a tense pair of back and forth overtime periods, with multiple scoring chances for each side. Kevin Hayes brought the puck into the zone, zigzagged down to the side of the net, and fired a pass back out to open ice toward the point, where defenseman Ivan Provorov was waiting. His pointed wrist shot zipped through traffic and found the top left corner of the net:

All three Flyers victories in the series have come in overtime.

This latest win had added emotion for Philadelphia, as it was Oskar Lindblom's first game back in 2020. The 24-year-old was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, late last year. His miraculous comeback resulted in more than 17 minutes of time on the ice Thursday night, during which he recorded two hits.

The Flyers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, but it was the Islanders who dominated the play for much of regulation, outshooting the Flyers 53-31 for the game, and snuffing out all four Flyers power play opportunities. Carter Hart's 49 saves were no small part of the reason the game lasted as long as it did.

Trailing 4-3 deep into the 3rd period, the Flyers knotted things back up with Scott Laughton's fifth goal of the series.

Game 7 will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in Toronto. The winner of that game will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.