from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post,
That the Islanders have continued to lose is putting all of those negatives in a pressure cooker, and if there isn’t a release soon, it’s liable to blow. And then it would get really ugly.
The Islanders are not there quite yet, but the 3-2 shootout loss to the Flyers on Thursday night on the soggy surface at Barclays Center was difficult on the eyes. It mercifully was put to rest after Claude Giroux scored in the second round of the skills competition, and his captain counterpart, John Tavares, had his attempt poked away by Philadelphia goalie by Michal Neuvirth.
It dropped the Islanders to 4-6-1 on the season, 1-3-1 in their past five to give them a better record than only the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers (6-5-1) were playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, and somehow outworked the Isles not only in the first period, but for the vast majority of the game.
That fact was what drew the ire of coach Jack Capuano, more than the 2-1 lead that disappeared with a Matt Read goal with 57.1 seconds remaining in regulation and the Flyers on a six-on-four man-advantage, the result of a Casey Cizikas high-sticking penalty and the Philadelphia net empty for the extra attacker.
“I think some guys obviously need to play better,” Capuano said. “You saw some of the puck battles out there. I don’t have to tell you who they are.”
Below are the game highlights...
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