Islanders late rally not enough. Lose 3-2 to rival Flyers.

#91 John Tavares tries to squeeze through Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

          The New York Islanders made a furious push in the final six minutes of the game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but fell short, losing 3-2, Thursday night.
          With the loss the Islanders fell into last place in the conference, holding a record of 28-32-11.  Their sixty-seven points is eleven behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.  
          The first forty minutes of the game belonged fully to the Flyers.  They took their first lead of the game at the 8:41 mark of the first.  Center Zac Rinaldo raced to the puck in the corner and flung one towards Isles goalie, Evgeni Nabokov.  The puck bounced off the back of Nabokov's right pad and in, to give the Flyers the early 1-0 lead.  The goal was Rinaldo's second of the season.  About five minutes later, at the 13:26 mark, right winger Claude Giroux was able to bury a one timer over the right leg of Nabokov, to give the Flyers the 2-0 advantage.  The goal was Giroux's twenty-sixth of the year.  
          The second period did not go much better for the Isles.  The Flyers would expand their lead at the 7:02 mark of the frame.  Left winger Scott Hartnell was led on a breakaway by his teammate, defenseman Kimmo Timonen.  Hartnell would capitalize on his opportunity and bury a wrist shot over the glove of Nabokov, to make it 3-0.  The goal was Hartnell's thirty-third of the year.  
          The Islanders would come out looking like a different team in the third.  They got more shots towards the net, and prevented the Flyers from getting anything difficult shots through to Nabokov.  The Isles would finally break through at the 13:30 mark, when defenseman Mark Streit fired a hard slap pass to right winger, Michael Grabner, who tipped it by Bryzgalov, to make it 3-1.  The goal was Grabner's sixteenth of the year.  Under a minute later, at the 14:05 mark, the Islanders would strike again.  Mark Streit would hold onto the puck and make a bevy of moves to get by three Flyer players, before putting the puck in front of the net, where center John Tavares would bang it home, to make it 3-2.  The goal was Tavares' team leading thirty-first of the year.  However, the Isles' final push in the last minute was not enough as the Flyers would hang onto the lead and get the win.  
          The Isles have only eleven games left this year, and will do everything they can to get as many of the twenty-two remaining points they can.
          Their journey starts in Montreal, against the Canadiens, Saturday night.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.