Flyers inch near playoff position with dominant win over Islanders

Matvei Michkov had a goal and two assists for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders on Friday in Elmont, N.Y.

Alex Bump and Travis Sanheim each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers (38-26-12, 88 points), who pulled to within a point of the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Dan Vladar made 20 saves.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored and Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves for New York (42-30-5, 89 points), which has lost three straight.

It was all Philadelphia in the first period, outshooting New York 12-2 and holding a 24-5 advantage in shot attempts. The Islanders didn't record their first shot on goal until there were less than seven minutes remaining in the period.

Philadelphia finally capitalized to take a 1-0 lead at the 13:54 mark. Owen Tippett poked the puck away from Ryan Pulock inside the Flyers blue line to create a 2-on-1 with Sanheim. The duo engaged in a give-and-go and Tippett finished it off, receiving a feed on his forehand to draw Sorokin over and then sliding a backhand past the netminder's right skate.

Bump made it 2-0 67 seconds later, beating Sorokin with a wrist shot from near the left wall.

That prompted Islanders coach Patrick Roy to call his timeout and settle his group.

New York came out pushing early in the second period, but it was the Flyers who found the back of the net first to extend their lead to 3-0.

After Bump pressured Brayden Schenn into a turnover in the Islanders' zone, Michkov got to the puck for a poke shot that missed and hit the end boards. He then recovered it and banked it off Sorokin's backside 2:52 into the middle period.

Pageau cut it to 3-1 at 15:37. He was uncovered coming into the slot to receive a pass from Mathew Barzal and put it inside the left post.

Michkov fed Sanheim at the top of the left circle for a snap shot that went far side to make it 4-1 at 9:16 of the third period.