Islanders 4, Flyers 3: Swedish winger’s clutch goal with 2:54 remaining caps back-and-forth thriller
October 2, 2025
Xfinity Mobile Arena
PHILADELPHIA — Emil Heineman showed exactly why the New York Islanders were willing to trade for him on draft night, delivering the game-winning goal with under three minutes to play as the Islanders edged the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Swedish winger’s decisive backhand tally at 17:06 of the third period capped a back-and-forth affair that featured special teams chaos on both ends, with each squad scoring both a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal. The victory wrapped up New York’s exhibition schedule with a 2-2-2 preseason record, while Philadelphia fell to 2-4-0 heading into their final tune-up Saturday against New Jersey.
The Islanders dominated possession throughout the contest, winning 62.2% of faceoffs (28-of-45) compared to Philadelphia’s 37.8% (17-of-45). New York also outshot the Flyers 27-21 and was far cleaner with the puck, committing just four giveaways to Philadelphia’s 12. The Islanders were also the more disciplined team, taking just one minor penalty (2 PIM) compared to the Flyers’ three infractions (6 PIM). Physically, New York edged Philadelphia in hits 26-22, while the Flyers blocked more shots 11-8 as they defended their own zone.
TURNING POINT
With the game knotted at 3-3 and both teams appearing content to head to overtime, Islanders captain Mathew Barzal made the play that would decide the contest. The All-Star center threaded a perfect breakout pass through traffic that found Anthony Duclair in stride.
Duclair, playing his way back into head coach Patrick Roy’s good graces after an inconsistent start to camp, delivered a chip pass up ice that split between Matvei Michkov and defenseman Adam Ginning. Heineman, showing the speed that made him attractive as a fourth-line option, got a step on Michkov and found himself with space.
The 23-year-old beat Samuel Ersson through the five-hole with a slick backhand finish, punctuating what had been an impressive preseason audition for a potential top-six role.
“For me, I’m just trying to have a complete game,” Heineman said postgame. “Trying to be useful all over the ice and when the time comes, I would like to be able to put the puck in the net.”
The goal was a breakdown in coverage for Philadelphia, with Michkov unable to keep pace with Heineman on the backcheck and Ginning caught in no-man’s land between committing to Duclair and staying with the trailer. Heineman’s backhand finish through Ersson’s five-hole proved to be the difference.
“Mich has to get out of there, and he just got beat up the ice,” Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said. “Ginning, he’s either got to go or he has to back off; he was caught in between. If you just buy time, just stay in the middle of the ice, let the guys back there. It was a couple of mistakes.”
FIRST PERIOD: FLYERS STRIKE SHORTHANDED
Philadelphia got off to the dream start when the penalty kill turned into offense. With Sean Couturier serving a tripping minor just 1:46 into the game, Christian Dvorak intercepted a Matthew Schaefer pass in the defensive zone and broke free on a shorthanded rush. Reading the play perfectly, Dvorak executed a slick drop pass between his legs to a trailing Travis Sanheim, who snapped his second goal of the preseason past Ilya Sorokin to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.
The goal was a perfect example of what head coach Rick Tocchet hopes to see from Dvorak, who is competing for a versatile role that could see him play center or wing throughout the lineup. Dvorak’s ability to impact the game on the penalty kill will be crucial as he tries to earn more ice time despite nominally being the fourth-line center.
The Islanders outshot Philadelphia 9-6 in the opening frame but couldn’t solve Ersson, who was making his final tune-up before the regular season.
SECOND PERIOD: GOALS COME IN BUNCHES
The middle frame turned into an offensive showcase with five goals scored in a frenetic 14-minute, 20-second span.
New York finally broke through on the power play at 3:45 when Maxim Shabanov, the 24-year-old Russian forward fighting for a roster spot, redirected a perfect feed from Maxim Tsyplakov over Samuel Ersson’s shoulder to tie the game at 1-1. The tip-in goal showcased the chemistry Shabanov has developed with Tsyplakov during camp.
The Flyers regained the lead just over seven minutes later when Travis Konecny unleashed a snap shot from the top of the zone at 11:10 that beat Sorokin cleanly to make it 2-1. The assists went to Nick Seeler and Sean Couturier. But the advantage lasted all of 15 seconds.
Anders Lee, getting his second preseason game after recovering from an upper-body injury sustained on September 21, answered immediately with a wrist shot from the right circle that snuck through Ersson’s five-hole at 11:25. The goal, assisted by Tsyplakov and Ryan Pulock, proved the veteran captain’s health and readiness for opening night.
The special teams chaos continued late in the period with both sides trading goals in a 53-second span. First, the Islanders struck shorthanded at 17:12 after Jamie Drysdale’s attempted entry pass to Matvei Michkov was intercepted at the blue line. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Adam Pelech broke out on a 2-on-0 breakaway, with Pageau feeding across to Pelech for a wrist shot that gave New York a 3-2 lead.
“Pageau looked pass all the way – I was 100% sure I was getting the puck,” Pelech said afterward.
But Philadelphia’s power play responded almost immediately. At 18:05, the Flyers executed a beautiful tic-tac-toe sequence with Cam York feeding Tyson Foerster, who delivered a perfect cross-seam pass to Noah Cates for a wrist shot power-play goal that tied things at 3-3 heading into the final period.
THIRD PERIOD: HEINEMAN’S HEROICS
The final frame was relatively quiet for the first 14 minutes as both teams, showing the wear of a long preseason, seemed to tighten up defensively. That changed when Heineman struck with 2:54 remaining to give the Islanders their first lead since early in the second period.
THREE STARS
1. Emil Heineman (NYI) – The game-winning goal plus a team-high five shots on goal earned the left winger first-star honors in his continued audition for a top-six role.
2. Maxim Tsyplakov (NYI) – Led all skaters with two assists (on Shabanov’s and Lee’s goals) and two points, continuing his impressive preseason.
3. Nikita Grebenkin (PHI) – Despite not recording a point, the right winger’s strong forechecking, three shots on goal, and physical play earned third-star recognition.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves on 21 shots (.857 save percentage) in the victory, playing the entire contest as the Islanders’ likely starter prepares for the regular season grind. His counterpart Samuel Ersson stopped 23 of 27 shots (.852 save percentage) in the loss and will likely enter opening night as Philadelphia’s No. 1 netminder.
Maxim Tsyplakov recorded two assists and has been one of the pleasant surprises of Islanders camp, showing chemistry with multiple linemates and making a strong case for significant ice time. His two helpers gave him two points and two shots on goal.
Christian Dvorak impressed in his audition for a larger role with the Flyers, not only setting up Sanheim’s shorthanded opener with a brilliant drop pass but making several strong plays on the penalty kill that hint at the versatility head coach Rick Tocchet is seeking. He finished with one assist, one point, and two shots.
Anders Lee showed he’s fully healthy with his wrist-shot goal that came just 15 seconds after Konecny gave Philadelphia the lead. The captain finished with one goal, one point, and two shots in his second preseason appearance.
COACHING DECISIONS AHEAD
For Patrick Roy and the Islanders, the emergence of Heineman in a top-six role presents intriguing lineup possibilities. Originally acquired to be a high-energy fourth-liner in the mold of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin, Heineman’s hard shot and improved all-around game have opened eyes in camp.
“That’s the first thing I noticed,” Roy said of Heineman’s shot. “When he came in our practice I said, ‘whoa, wow’. Mathieu [Darche] was talking a lot about his shot when we were talking about a trade with Montreal and I didn’t know him very well.”
Veteran winger Anders Lee noted that Heineman rarely misses the net with his chances: “You give him an opportunity to shoot the puck, he really does put it in the net. So find him. Get him the puck.”
For Tocchet and the Flyers, the defensive breakdowns late in games remain a concern as they prepare to host New Jersey on Saturday in their final preseason contest. The bottom defensive pairings struggled at times, and the coach will need to finalize his blue line before opening night.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Islanders wrapped up their preseason with a winning record and will have several days to prepare for their regular season opener Wednesday, October 9, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Questions remain about final roster spots, including where Heineman, Shabanov, and prospect Calum Ritchie fit into the lineup. Head coach Patrick Roy will also need to finalize his defensive pairings, with first overall pick Matthew Schaefer making a strong case for an NHL roster spot despite not recording a point in this contest.
Philadelphia hosts the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, October 4, at 12:30 p.m. ET in their preseason finale before opening the regular season Friday, October 4, also against the Devils. Head coach Rick Tocchet will use the final exhibition game to make his last roster decisions, particularly on the bottom defensive pairings where Adam Ginning and Jamie Drysdale are competing for roles.
GAME NOTES: The Islanders finished 1-for-3 on the power play while the Flyers were a perfect 1-for-1… New York dominated the faceoff circle 62.2% to 37.8% (28-of-45 to 17-of-45)… The Islanders outshot Philadelphia 27-21… New York committed just four giveaways compared to the Flyers’ 12… The Islanders edged the Flyers in hits 26-22, while Philadelphia blocked 11 shots to New York’s eight… Jonathan Drouin (illness) did not make the trip for the Islanders… The Flyers are still without Rasmus Ristolainen (triceps) as he works his way back to full strength and is expected to return within the first 1-2 months of the season… This was the second meeting between the teams this preseason; Philadelphia won the first matchup 3-2 in an 11-round shootout on September 21.
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