Flyers’ struggles in back-to-back games continue with a 3-1 loss at the New York Islanders

ELMONT, N.Y. — And so it goes.

The Flyers struggle in the second half of a back-to-back rolls on. With a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday night, they are now 1-7-1 on Day 2. It comes after a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday, moving their record to 5-3-1 on Day 1.

Like the game at The Garden, things started well.

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Tyson Foerster opened up the scoring with his 13th goal of the season. The play began in the Flyers zone with Erik Johnson starting the breakout with a pass to Travis Konecny on the half wall. Foerster, who was in the corner trying to dig the puck out, read the play and headed up the ice, receiving the pass from Konecny to start a two-on-one. Foerster kept the puck and scored short-side.

With Egor Zamula out and listed as day-to-day with an upper-body ailment, Johnson suited up for his first game since Nov. 20.

The Islanders scored twice in the last 3 minutes of the first period to head into the intermission up 2-1 — and they never looked back.

New York’s Anthony Duclair scored on a two-on-one after Kyle Palmieri made a cross-ice pass in the air to Brock Nelson. Just 55 seconds later, it was 2-1 New York on a goal by Bo Horvat, on a two-on-one. This one came off a bad line change by the Flyers, with Bobby Brink going to the bench as Rasmus Ristolainen had stepped up a little in the neutral zone.

The Islanders took a 3-1 lead with six minutes, four seconds left in the second period. Nelson scored from the right faceoff circle after a Jamie Drysdale pinch.

Philly had its chances. Matvei Michkov grabbed a loose puck after a bad Islanders pass. He fed Joel Farabee, who set up Sean Couturier for a shot with the Flyers down by one. Michkov had a breakaway shot stopped by Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin midway through the second and the captain had another chance when he got out of the penalty box late in the middle frame.

Coach John Tortorella put his lines and pairings in the blender across the game. He moved Anthony Richard up to play with Morgan Frost and Brink and switched Konecny to the wing of Noah Cates and Foerster. Richard used his legs and had two good looks in the first five minutes of the third period.

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Johnson was slotted next to Nick Seeler, with Jamie Drysdale-Travis Sanheim, and Cam York-Rasmus Ristolainen the other pairings to start the game. … York missed the final 13:30 of the first period after taking a hard hit from Alexander Romanov. Konecny took a roughing penalty when he went after the Russian defender.

The Flyers have a day off before practicing in Voorhees on Sunday. They host the New Jersey Devils on Monday (7 p.m., NBCSP) to kick-start a home-and-home.