Flyers fall to Islanders, 3-1

(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 

As the Flyers looked to snap the offensive woes that have been plaguing them, they countered with one of their best first periods of the year. They were off to a high-flying start against the New York Islanders, and snapped their offensive drought at nearly 135 minutes.

This up-tempo brand of hockey lasted all of 20 minutes, though, and the Flyers fell back to their old habits en route to a 3-1 loss on Thursday.

A pair of early goals in the ensuing two periods helped put the Islanders ahead for good. Jason Chimera struck at 2:13 of the second stanza, while Casey Cizikas found twine with a spinning goal in front just 1:21 into the third.

Wayne Simmonds had opened the scoring in the first stanza for the Flyers on a power play, but less than five minutes later, Anders Lee tipped home a strong John Tavares wrister to even the score before the period could end.

The Flyers' first-period effort truly was one-of-a-kind. They managed 16 shots on goal, while holding the Isles to six. However, they managed half that in the next period, and just 10 more in the third — claiming a narrow 34-33 shots advantage.

Sporting the new pads that he plans on wearing for the upcoming Stadium Series matchup, Steve Mason turned in 27 saves. Thomas Greiss countered with 35 between the Islanders' pipes. 

Making his return to the ice after a three-game benching, Shayne Gostisbehere earned the primary assist on the Simmonds goal. He also registered one shot, one hit and a minus-2 rating.

The Orange and Black return to the ice Saturday, hosting the San Jose Sharks in an afternoon matinee.