PHILADELPHIA — After his team was outplayed for two straight periods, Scott Laughton bailed out the Philadelphia Flyers with a timely first goal of the season, which led to another loss for the reeling New York Islanders.
Laughton scored in overtime and Jake Voracek and Kevin Hayes also had goals to lead the Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Islanders on Saturday night.
“I just tried to hold onto it and find an angle for the net,” Laughton said. “Nice to get my first one out of the way.”
Jordan Eberle and Scott Mayfield scored for the Islanders.
“I didn’t like our start. I thought we were too soft. making soft plays,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “I thought our veteran guys made some horrible decisions, some horrible plays. They have to be the solution for us to get rolling.”
The Islanders tried to pull themselves together after three regulation losses over five days left them reeling. In a five-day span, the Islanders got shut out by a third-string goalie, allowed a go-ahead goal in the final minute and blew a three-goal lead.
After going to the Eastern Conference final in the NHL’s playoff bubble last summer, the Islanders won three of their first four this season, but have not dropped four straight.
Flyers’ Scott Laughton celebrates after scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Islanders’ 3-2 loss. Getty Images“We’ve talked about it, we’ve had meetings,” Mayfield said. “I think some of the losses our effort wasn’t there. Other times it was mental mistakes.”
The Flyers and Islanders played for the first time since New York won Game 7 of their second-round playoff series last season. The Islanders dominated this one in regulation, outshooting the Flyers 27-14.
But defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere forced a turnover in OT and Laughton converted at 3:16.
Carter Hart made 26 saves for Philadelphia.
Back from a four-game road trip, the Flyers scored twice in the first period. Claude Giroux hit Voracek as he cut to the net and he beat goaltender Semyon Varlamov for a 1-0 lead. James van Riemsdyk connected with Hayes, who punched it high glove side for his fourth goal of the season. That gave the Flyers their first two-goal lead in the first period since the second game of the season.
Varlamov finished with 14 saves.
“Yes, we are winning right now. Yes, we did, in my estimation, play the right way,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. “But for whatever reason, in the second and third period, getting those pucks behind their Ds, keeping our shifts short so that we can have a fast pace, they were the better team.”
Eberle scored from the right circle in the second to make it 2-1, and Mayfield hit a slap shot to even the score.
