Frustration Builds Along With Loss Total

Islanders 3: Flyers 4

Someone should post a sign in the locker room saying "WARNING: Early leads may cause implosion."

For that, once again, was what happened to the Islanders last night, as they faced off against Philadelphia in the second of two consecutive games in two nights. A plethora of chances went unfinished, and Yann Danis, in relief for Joey MacDonald, allowed 4 goals on 25 shots, in what was a tight game, and a much better effort than the night before. Still, Simon Gagne ended up making the difference, with his power play goal that powered the Flyers past New York, 4-3, leaving the Islanders winless in their last four.

The Islanders had a 2-0 lead in the first period, built hastily in 1:01, as Andy Hilbert redirected a feed through the slot on the PP, which D Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both helped out on. Then Doug Weight pulled to within five of the 1,000-point milestone, scoring his sixth goal of the year on a rebound by Sean Bergenheim.

But the good feelings ended too soon, as another former Islander- Arron Asham- fired a shot past Danis for his second of the year, cutting the lead in half, and then youngster Darroll Powe scored his first NHL goal to tie the game. After some great chances by the Isles, including a failed passing play (or two) through the neutral zone and a bona-fide shorthanded opportunity by Bergenheim which couldn't convert, Philly finally stopped missing the net enough for red-hot Jeff Carter to score his 20th of the season and give them the lead.

They would only hold it for a short while thanks to Blake Comeau, whose shot deflected off of Lasse Kukkonen's stick and trickled past Martin Biron's pads, tying it once more at 2:17 of the third. But midway through, Brendan Witt took a bad interference penalty, and Simon Gagne struck gold, putting the Flyers up 4-3 with his 14th of the year.

Over the past couple of games, however, penalties really haven't been the problem. Although the Isles have taken them, only 3 were committed by each team last night. Rather, the Isles could have run away with this game if not for the missed opportunities-other than Bergenheim's rush, Mark Streit hit the post a couple of times, and late in the game, I felt we spent way too much time in the defensive zone when there was still time for a couple of rush attempts. The defense overall has improved since last game, but Danis did leave a couple of rebounds, which unfortunately the D didn't get to in time. Overall, the Islanders have to find a way to finish the play- or at least get a few dirty goals by crashing the net more often- and preserve a lead. At 10-16-2, the desperation has to kick in some time.

Notes: Mike Richards had two assists... Doug Weight has 26 points in 28 games and leads all NHL players above the age of 33... Andy Sutton was a scratch last night, as was Nate Thompson (both with flu symptoms)... Bill Guerin has points in four straight (2 G, 2 A) as per the Isles' recap... Joe Callahan, a callup from Bridgeport, had three hits... G Rick DiPietro may be about a week to a week and a half away from returning to the ice.