Oskar Lindblom returns to lineup, helps Flyers rebound from nightmare loss and stun Islanders, 4-3

Forget the mind-numbing nine-goal loss the previous night. Forget about allowing a franchise-record seven goals in a period. Forget about embarrassing themselves on national TV.

That was the message Flyers coach Alain Vigneault delivered to his players before Thursday’s game.

He got through.

Oskar Lindblom snapped a 3-3 tie by scoring with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left as the Flyers rebounded and stunned the New York Islanders, 4-3, at Nassau Coliseum.

One night after a head-shaking 9-0 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the Flyers handed the Isles their first regulation home loss of the season. The Islanders had been 12-0-2 at home.

Go figure.

“It’s always tough to lose a game like that,” Lindblom said of the St. Patrick’s Day Massacre, “but we’re professionals, and we have to get back on track right away. And our leaders, like Claude [Giroux], showed us the way today and played great hockey.”

Lindblom’s second goal of the night – the first one ended a long scoring drought – enabled the Flyers to win despite a late collapse in which they allowed three third-period goals, turning a 3-0 lead into a 3-3 tie.

Lindblom took a pass from Travis Konecny (three assists) and scored the winner from the high slot.

“I was extremely pleased the way he played tonight,” Vigneault said about Lindblom. “He was strong on pucks; he looked good. Hopefully, it’s the start of something real positive for him and our team.”

The Islanders, playing before some home fans for the first time in a year, erased a 3-0 deficit by scoring three goals in a 6:34 span of the third period against a shaky Carter Hart (22 saves). They tied it when Oliver Wahlstrom put a close-range shot off Hart and into the net with 5:33 to go.

“I definitely need to make more saves in the third period. But at the end of the day, we got the two points and it’s something to keep building off of,” Hart said.

The previous night, Vigneault said the struggling Lindblom needed a rest, needed to “reset.” So Lindblom, who missed most of last season as he received treatment for a rare bone cancer, was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup and returned Thursday and looked, well, refreshed.

The 24-year-old left winger played a major role in the game’s first two goals.

“He’s been through a lot in the last year, and we’re really lucky to have him on our team,” Hart said.

With 17:34 left in the second period, Lindblom pounced on a rebound and gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. It ended a 21-game scoring drought and was his first goal since Game 2 against Pittsburgh.

Working hard down low, Lindblom scored the first goal and helped set up the second one.

“That’s my game, and I haven’t been doing that,” said Lindblom, whose team reached the midway point of the season with a 15-10-3 record. “I played great today, but there’s going to be a lot of games coming up. I have to keep doing it. It can’t just be one game.”

Midway through the second, Lindblom helped increase the lead to 2-0 when he won a board battle to keep a possession alive behind the goal line. The puck eventually was worked around to Nate Prosser, whose point drive was deftly redirected past Semyon Varlamov by Giroux.

Giroux tied Simon Gagne for ninth in franchise history with his 264th career goal.

After Wednesdays’ whipping, the worst road shutout in franchise history, Giroux called the loss “unacceptable” and said he was happy they had a chance to redeem themselves the next night.

“There needs to be an answer,” he said after being humiliated by the Rangers.

Giroux’s new line – he centered Lindblom and Konecny – swarmed the net Thursday and built the 2-0 lead.

Giroux called Lindblom “a pretty smart player. When you have a player who’s always in the right position, it makes your job a lot easier.”

Jake Voracek, taking a perfect circle-to-circle feed from Kevin Hayes, made it 3-0 as he finished a three-on-two rush by one-timing a right-wing shot into the net with 5:59 remaining in the second.

The Flyers outscored the Isles, 3-0, in the second. One night earlier, they allowed a franchise record seven goals in a period, getting outscored in the second, 7-0, by the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Again, go figure.

Whether you’re coming off a good or bad game, “you have to have a short memory,” left winger James van Riemsdyk said before the opening faceoff. “It’s always the next game that’s the most important one. Last night was by no means anywhere close to being good enough, and we know there were lots of mistakes that were made out there. Tonight’s about having a good response.”

They came out with physicality Thursday, registering the game’s first six hits in a scoreless first period in which they outshot the Islanders, 9-8. The Flyers were also helped by some luck as shots by the Isles’ Ryan Pullock and Jordan Eberle hit iron.

It was an encouraging start for a team that was coming off Wednesday’s historic loss to the Rangers.

The Flyers had a big advantage in shot attempts (20-13) and hits (11-4) in the first, with Nic Auble-Kubel delivering four of the hits and setting the tone for the win.

The teams will meet in the next two games, including Saturday on Long Island, where the Flyers will try to improve to 4-0 against the Isles this season.