Flyers return from All-Star break with 2-1 loss to Islanders

The Flyers took too long to shake off the rust from their eight-day break and compete against the New York Islanders in their 2-1 loss Monday night.

After breaking so the NHL All-Stars could go play on the beach in Florida, the Flyers came back looking much slower than the hardworking, forechecking team they’d established themselves as in the first half of the season. They’d built momentum during a strong January, but they also went through a grueling schedule. They said they were glad for the rest that began after their Jan. 28 win at Winnipeg, but the momentum was broken.

As they fought for long minutes to get out of the defensive zone to start the game, the Flyers looked like they wished they were still on their break. They gave up dangerous shots, and goaltender Carter Hart was saved by the post and his defensemen a few times.

“They fed it to us,” coach John Tortorella said. “Men against boys in the first period.”

Despite having three All-Stars, the Islanders had more spring in their step and kept at it until they broke through the Flyers’ strong penalty-kill performance on their second power play with a goal from Kyle Palmieri.

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The Flyers started to wake up in the second, evening the shot count and offensive-zone time. While they fell behind on Mathew Barzal’s goal, they responded quickly with a goal by Nicolas Deslauriers. But their final push in the last two minutes after they pulled Hart for an extra skater wasn’t enough to tie the game.

Through their successful January, the Flyers’ lines stayed together and built consistency, but injuries forced Tortorella to change it up in the last game before the break.

After getting Wade Allison back, Tortorella still decided to go with different lines and pairings. Owen Tippett had thrived with James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Frost, but Tortorella liked how Hayes and Scott Laughton complemented his game, as well. After a good practice, he decided to stick with it. Tippett’s linemates struggled with penalties, but Tippett created some rushes off of takeaways.

“Obviously, coming back off a break, a little timing can be off,” Tippett said. “But I thought timing was alright. And the more you play with someone, the better you’re going to get.”

Van Riemsdyk, meanwhile, moved to a line with Noah Cates and Travis Konecny. The three created a lot of offense, but the connection was just a split-second off from producing any goals. Frost moved to a line with Joel Farabee and Allison, which was quiet to start but built momentum as the game went on.

Down 2-0, things could have gotten ugly fast for the Flyers. While the deficit wasn’t a huge one, the Flyers weren’t playing well enough for a comeback. They’d spent time in the penalty box, but even at five-on-five, they couldn’t keep up with the Islanders.

But two minutes after the Islanders’ second goal, the Flyers put together a long offensive possession. They kept the puck and created movement, passing it back-and-forth the offensive zone. Tony DeAngelo took a second to survey the ice from the blue line before taking a shot. Two minutes, 29 seconds after Barzal’s goal, Deslauriers deflected the puck in the net and cut the lead in half.

From there, the Flyers played a more competitive game, and even when they started the third period down by one, it felt like they were in it. They held the Islanders scoreless through the third and were close to tying it once they pulled the goalie at the end.

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Bursts of noise filled the Wells Fargo Center as Flyers took off down the ice on breakaways only to die quickly with disappointment.

“Just a lot of ‘almost’ offensively,” Tortorella said.

Tippett stole the puck at the blue line in the first to help the Flyers finally get out of their own zone after long minutes defending. He beat the Islanders’ blueliners but shot it wide of the net. He stole the puck seconds later but tripped.

Van Riemsdyk and Farabee also set off on an odd-man rush. Semyan Varlov stopped the initial shot, and then his defensemen got to the puck seconds before Farabee did, preventing a dangerous shot from the crease. None of the Flyers’ other opportunities on the rush turned into a goal, and many of them were wasted with missed shots or bad shots.

The Flyers host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at 7 p.m.