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Flyers force Game 7 with Ivan Provorov's 2OT winner vs. Islanders

Justin Cuthbert
·1-min read
TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 03: Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in the second overtime period of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena on September 03, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

What began as a mostly non-competitive second round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will now suddenly feature at least two Game 7s.

After the Colorado Avalanche pulled two wins back to force a win-or-leave-the-bubble clash versus the Dallas Stars, the Philadelphia Flyers have done the same versus the New York Islanders, clinching a victory in Game 6 on Thursday night on Ivan Provorov’s double-overtime winner.

The Flyers certainly deserve credit for hanging around and taking advantage of their opportunities, but it feels like an unjust result for the Islanders, who delivered one of their best performances of a series in which they have mostly dominated. New York outshot the Flyers 53-31 in the contest, firing more than 100 attempted shots and exceeding five expected goals across nearly five periods.

Despite that, the Islanders must take their third and final chance to eliminate the Flyers when the two teams clash again Saturday. The winner of that game will face a quick turnaround with the added variable of travel, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final versus the Tampa Bay Lightning scheduled for Monday in Edmonton.

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