5 Takeaways: Islanders Comeback Falls Short in 4-3 Loss to Flyers

The New York Islanders mounted a valiant comeback on Thursday night, but ultimately left empty-handed in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Nassau Coliseum.
Down 3-0 to start the third period, the Islanders scored three goals in a span of 6:34 to the score at 3-3, before conceding Oskar Lindblom's game-winner with 2:22 to play.
Michael Dal Colle, Sebastian Aho and Oliver Wahlstrom scored for the Islanders, while Lindblom (2G), Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers. Nick Leddy finished the game with three assists and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27-of-31, while Carter Hart stopped 22-of-25.

The regulation loss was a gut-punch after a spirted comeback effort, and also marked the Islanders first two-game losing streak in a month. Thursday's loss was also the Islanders first regulation defeat at Nassau Coliseum this season, dropping to 12-1-2 at home. The Islanders were the last team this season to suffer a regulation loss at home.
Here are five takeaways from a rally that fell just short.

THIRD PERIOD COMEBACK BID:

Even with Philadelphia losing 9-0 to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night, the Islanders knew not to take the Flyers lightly on Thursday. As expected after an embarrassing loss, the Flyers - who have allowed a league-high 3.76 goals per game since Feb. 1 - played a stingy game on Thursday, holding the Islanders to 13 shots through two periods.
Down 3-0 heading into the third, the Islanders still didn't feel they were completely out of the game. If they needed a blueprint, last season's third period rally was a good reference point.
It didn't come right away, as the Islanders were held without a shot for the first 7:53 of the final frame, but they made the most of their limited opportunities, as Dal Colle scored on the Islanders first shot of the period, beating Hart far side.
That seemingly sparked the Islanders, who were buoyed by the 1,400 fans at Nassau Coliseum. While a power play yielded no returns, Aho pulled the Islanders within one shortly after, taking a Nick Leddy feed off the rush and beat Hart over the shoulder at 13:53.

The 3-2 score instilled even more belief in the Islanders, who tied the score 34 seconds later, as Wahlstrom snuck a cross-ice feed from Leddy short-side on Hart at 14:27.
"We were confident," Dal Colle said. "We have a pretty resilient group. A lot of veterans guys in that locker room, a lot of guys to look up to. We stayed pretty positive, we knew we were never out of it and proved it with that push. It's a tough feeling not getting a point out of that because it was a really good third for us."
The good feeling was short-lived, as Lindblom scored the eventual winner with 2:22 to play. Coming off an Islanders icing, the Flyers worked the puck around the zone before Travis Konecny fed Lindblom in the slot.
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Head Coach Barry Trotz said he was disappointed in giving away a point in the loss, calling his team's play "light" in the d-zone.
"We wasted a point or an opportunity to win that game," Trotz said. "I liked the fact that we came back and then we shoot ourselves in the foot."

FLYERS BUILD 3-0 LEAD IN THE SECOND:

Buoyed by a buzz in the building for the first time in over a calendar year, the Islanders came out with a strong first period, that included a pair of shots off the post and a clean kill on a Mat Barzal double-minor. Unfortunately, and much like Tuesday's start vs Washington, it didn't translate into any red lights.
The Flyers responded with some jump in the second period, outshooting the Islanders 7-1 by the first TV timeout. That included the game's first goal, as Lindblom beat Andy Greene to a Konecny rebound before putting it around Semyon Varlamov at 2:26.
Philadelphia doubled the lead midway through the contest, as Claude Giroux deflected a Nate Prosser point shot past Varlamov at 10:04. Jakub Voracek made it 3-0 at 14:01, one-timing a Kevin Hayes pass off an odd-man rush past Varlamov.
The Flyers outshot the Islanders 12-5 in the middle frame, with the Islanders recording one shot on goal in the final nine minutes of the period.
"We didn't executive or win very many battles and dug ourselves a big hole," Trotz said.
"I'm not going to have any excuses, I'm disappointed," Trotz added. "I'm disappointed in our push in the second and our thought process of how we played that game. Not enough detail, you knew you were going to have to play with some weight with a team that was determined, I thought we played light on the end of our stick more than we needed to. It wasn;t a good enough effort."

LEDDY HAS THREE-ASSIST NIGHT:

Nick Leddy played a large role in Thursday night's comeback, racking up three assists in the third period.
Leddy had the primary dish on Dal Colle's first of the season, transporting the puck up the ice before sending a backhand pass to the wing. Leddy showcased his skating again on Aho's marker, carrying the puck through the zone before feeding the speedy defenseman. He showed off his passing prowess with a nifty feed to Wahlstrom.
The three-point night was Leddy's third as an Islander and first since Dec. 21, 2019 against Anaheim. Thursday was Leddy's third, three-assist game since joining the Islanders in 2014.
The three-point game brings Leddy's season total to 21 points (1G, 20A), which equaled his output from 60 games last season. Leddy's 20 assists are tops among East Division defensemen.

FANS IN THE STANDS:

Turns out 1,400 people in Nassau Coliseum can make a lot of noise.
The Islanders welcomed back 1,400 Season Ticket Members on Thursday night, the first game back in front of paying fans in over a calendar year.
They were ready to go on Thursday, pouring in to watch warmups, and greeting the team with a hearty "Let's Go Islanders!" when the team came out onto the ice. It felt familiar, with clapping for shorthanded clears and strong shifts and "Var-ly"s when the Islanders goaltender flashed the leather on a first period PK.
The fans gave the Islanders an extra boost during the third period comeback, as did player's families, who were also in attendance.
"It's been great, even when they haven't been here we felt it," Josh Bailey said. "Tonight we certainly fed off it in the third period. To have that energy after a big play, or a big goal, it becomes contagious. For some of us it was the first night we could have our families in the building. We fed off it and unfortunately it wasn't the start we wanted, but we fed off it into the third and we certainly appreciate the support and look forward to playing more games in front of them."

DAL COLLE IN, CZARNIK OUT:

Michael Dal Colle returned to the lineup after sitting out the past two games, drawing in for Austin Czarnik. Dal Colle assumed his regular spot alongside JG Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom and scored his first goal of the season, putting the Islanders on the board at 7:53 of the third. Dal Colle's goal was his first since Feb. 6, 2020.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders and Flyers meet in the second of three-straight meetings when the teams reconvene at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night. Puck drop is a 7 p.m.