NHL

Islanders lose to Flyers

There was no question the Islanders got the wheels spinning last night at the Coliseum. The only problem was the fact they never got anywhere.

After outplaying the Flyers for 60 minutes, buzzing from end to end with enthusiasm and hard work, the Islanders came away empty-handed, losing 3-2 for their third defeat in their past four games.

“It’s frustrating for the guys,” coach Jack Capuano said after his team lost its eighth straight game to the Flyers (0-6-2) dating back to last season. “This is one game that I really thought we played well.”

Because the Hurricanes won last night, the Islanders are again in last place in the Eastern Conference, but it surely isn’t from a lack of effort.

“It felt like we probably deserved a better fate there,” said Kyle Okposo, who scored his 10th goal of the season early in the third period to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 2-1. “They found a way to win the game and we didn’t.”

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Sean Couturier gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead on a streaking wrist shot.

The Islanders’ lone All-Star, John Tavares, netted his 15th of the season on a garbage-time, extra-man goal with 16 seconds left.

“This was a team effort,” said Capuano, whose Islanders outshot the Flyers 35-22. “The results weren’t there, but as a coaching staff we’re very pleased with the work ethic we had tonight. If you want to look back at the game, they got a power play goal, we didn’t.”

That’s simplifying it a bit, but Scott Hartnell’s tip-in on a man-advantage in the first period to make it 1-0 for the Flyers could be seen as the difference maker.

That goal came soon after Islanders defenseman Andy MacDonald took a stick to the face that opened his bottom lip but drew no penalty call — much to Capuano’s chagrin. The tripping penalty called on Islanders’ goalie Evgeni Nabokov that led to the power play seemed questionable.

The loss could also be laid at the feet of the 36-year-old Nabokov, who made his 10th consecutive start and fumbled with the puck behind his net in the second period, leading to a sharp-angle goal from Wayne Simmonds to make it 2-0.

“The puck was coming slow so I didn’t know what to do, to pass it right away or take it behind the net,” Nabokov said. “Then I fanned on it and you saw what happened after that. It’s a mistake.”