UNIONDALE, N.Y. _ Nothing has slowed the Islanders lately, certainly not an injury-necessitated makeshift lineup. If anything, they just continue to improve offensively.
The Islanders won their seventh straight on Sunday night at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum as they notched a season-high for goals in a 5-3 win over the Flyers.
Mathew Barzal and captain Anders Lee led the balanced attack with 11 Islanders getting at least one point as the team consistently beat the tired-looking Flyers to pucks.
The Islanders (8-3-0) have now scored at least four goals in their last three games _ over four nights _ and at least three goals in each game of their winning streak. The only frustrating thing for the team is it now enters another four-day break after having one last week, not playing again until facing the Lightning on Friday night at the Coliseum.
Still, some rest is good with forwards Tom Kuhnhackl and Matt Martin both out 4-6 weeks with left leg injuries suffered in Friday night's 4-2 win at Ottawa. Top-line right wing Jordan Eberle (injured reserve/lower body) missed his sixth game and forward Leo Komarov has missed four games because of illness.
Semyon Varlamov (28 saves) won his fourth straight start. Carter Hart was chased after allowing five goals on 14 shots for the Flyers (5-4-1), who had their three-game winning streak snapped after rallying from a two-goal deficit to beat the visiting Blue Jackets, 7-4, on Saturday night.
The Islanders ceded the first goal as Derick Brassard turned the puck over in the defensive zone and Jakub Voracek got to the crease to tip in defenseman Travis Sanheim's feed at 1:07 of the first. But Lee muscled his way to a loose puck at the right post to tie it at 1-1 at 3:17. Brassard then finished off an odd-man rush by taking Brock Nelson's feed and firing a shot under the crossbar for his third goal in three games for the natural center now on right wing.
Burly Ross Johnston, in with Martin and Kuhnhackl out, got to the crease to knock in Cole Bardreau's feed to make it 3-1 at 11:46 of the first. It marked the first career point for Bardreau, the 26-year-old undrafted free agent who spent the last five seasons in the Flyers' organization without receiving a call-up and was playing in his fourth NHL game in Komarov's absence.
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"I was there a long time and a lot of them reached out and said congrats, which meant a lot," Bardreau said. "I can't say anything against the (Flyers') organization. I didn't do myself any favors with all my injuries. At the end of the day, you still kind of have a chip on your shoulder. You feel you deserve something. Everything happened for a reason. I'm just trying to take advantage and show what I've got."
Travis Konecny's deflection brought the Flyers within 3-2 at 16:38 of the first period.
But the Islanders were dominant through the second period, increasing their lead to 5-2 as defenseman Ryan Pulock connected on a blast from the right point at 4:13 and Barzal was sprung up ice at 5:38.
Brian Elliott (19 saves) entered for Hart at 8:46 of the second period and stopped Casey Cizikas' third-period breakaway. Claude Giroux's snap shot from low in the slot brought the Flyers within 5-3 at 17:04 of the third period.
