New York Islanders

The Flyers loss to the Islanders on Tuesday will be remembered for a last-minute goal that took away the potential victory and at least a single point for reaching overtime. It should be another example of how slow starts to games can be detrimental to this team and their playoff hopes.

Less than a minute after tying the game to erase a 3-0 deficit, the Flyers surrendered the game-winning goal to Ryan Pulock with 38.9 seconds left in a 5-3 defeat to the New York Islanders.

Wins for both the Flyers and Islanders on Monday set the stage for a meeting between the two teams on Tuesday. The two teams are separated by one point in the standings.

The Flyers had the Islanders on the ropes with a 3-0 lead after two periods, but allowed three goals in the third, eventually falling, 4-3, in a shootout.

The New York Islanders have won 12 games on their 13-game points streak, including a 5-3 win over the Flyers on Oct. 27. They bring that streak into Philadelphia next.

Perhaps the Islanders slept through the first shift of the game, giving up the puck on a turnover and the glorious chance for Voracek to put the Flyers in front. From there, nothing was easy for the Flyers offensively and the Islanders gave them a taste of their own medicine with physical play and a tenacious forecheck.

The Flyers could not recover from three first-period goals and another quick pair of goals to start the second, falling to the Islanders, 5-3, on Sunday night to snap a three-game winning streak.

Less than 24 hours after a five-goal third period and 7-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Flyers get back on the ice and hit the road to face the New York Islanders.

The end results have not been as desired to start the preseason, but that means very little before the regular season. There are no points on the line and rosters are not fully constructed. All you had to do was look at the two rosters in Tuesday’s game on the road for the Flyers to see the disparity.