There was a buzzing energy in the building with season-ticket holders back in a limited capacity at Nassau Coliseum. But it didn’t energize the initially-sluggish Islanders until midway through the third period.
The fans wound up nearly witnessing a stirring comeback. Instead, their three-goal, third-period rally fell short as Oskar Lindblom’s second goal gave the Flyers a 4-3 win on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum as the teams opened a three-game series.
There was a sell-out of 1,391 as the Coliseum can host at 10% of capacity but the Islanders lost in regulation on home ice for the first time this season (12-1-2).