Box Score (from Flyers.NHL.com)
The Flyers had all of Sunday to let the loss in Montreal sink in.
Competitiveness was something they were clearly lacking in that game, and based on players' post game comments, they knew it.
The Flyers desperately needed a win, and a convincing one, when they played the New York Islanders on Monday afternoon.
They got it in the form of a 7-0 shutout with Claude Giroux leading the way.
It took Giroux just 26 seconds of the opening period to find the back of the net.
Matt Read skated into the offensive zone then took, what looked to be, a shot that instead deflected off the skate of Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonlad.
Giroux (3) was there to pick up the puck, found his spot, and fired it past goaltender Evgeni Nabokov for the 1-0 lead.
The Flyers' captain went seven games without a goal heading into Monday's game in Long Island, but there was no celebration from Giroux for finally breaking the slump. He wasn't done scoring either.
Read fed the puck to Giroux in front of the net once again, in the second period.
Giroux (4) deked to draw Nabokov out of the net, then guided the puck in to put the Flyers up 4-0 by that point.
Read (7) had a goal of his own just 15 ticks into the second period, along with Brayden Schenn (4) who scored on the power play at the 7:57 mark.
The Flyers continued to pile on the goals in the third period.
Zac Rinaldo scored his first goal of the season (3:31) after Harry Zolnierczyk got the puck and broke into the offensive zone.
Skating full speed towards the net, Zolneirczyk drew Nabokov out of position, then fed a pass to Rinaldo who had a wide open net to shoot on.
Then Danny Briere finished off the game with two goals at the 10:27 (4) and 17:46 (5) marks of the final period.
Backed by solid defensive play, Ilya Bryzgalov got his first shutout of the season, stopping all 19 of the Islanders' shots on goal.
The penalty kill continued to be one of the bright spots of the Flyers' game,as they killed off all four of the Islanders' man-advantages. The most notable PK being a 5-on-3 advantage in the first period, when both Kimmo Timonen (interference) and Wayne Simmonds (unsportsmanlike conduct) went to the box at 13:50.
Jakub Voracek also had a great game, earning a career high four assists on both of Read's, Schenn's and both of Giroux's goals.
Flyers fan should hope this game signifies a turning point in the season, and that this team will begin playing with more competitiveness and consistency from here on out.
The win puts the Flyers (7-9-1) back up to the tenth spot in the Eastern Conference with 15 points, after they dropped to 12th following the Saturday night loss to the Canadiens.
The win also moves the Flyers up to fourth in the Atlantic Division, above the Islanders (6-8-1).
With a Wednesday night match-up against the rival and Atlantic Division leading Pittsburgh Penguins (11-5-0) approaching, what happened in New York better not have been a flash in the pan.
(Image from Flyers.NHL.com and Getty Images)
(Video from CSNPhilly.com)
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