Flyers short in first game after break

PHILADELPHIA – A 10-4-2 streak just before the NHL All-Star break had the Flyers feeling pretty good about themselves but eight days off apparently certainly didn’t help maintain any momentum.

That was evident in Monday night’s 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers wasted a chance to get within four points of Pittsburgh for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. And now the Penguins have three games in hand.

Both teams were coming back from the lengthy pause and looked a little rusty at the start. The Flyers never really got their offense untracked.

Most of the Flyers skated a bit during the break but it seemed to take awhile to get fully engaged.

Coach John Tortorella said this is the time of year where hard-checking teams like the Islanders are going to make it tough on opponents who can’t match that intensity.

The Flyers fell behind by allowing an opponent to score first for the 31st time in 52 games.

“It was man against boys in the first period,’’ Tortorella said. “We played better in the second. We had a lot of ‘almost’ chances.

“That team knows how to check, they know how to protect a lead, a veteran group, good sticks. We’re going to find out about some people when we’re playing these games here in the checking part of it. Because teams are going to ramp that up. It’s going to be interesting to see how guys react.’’

A lot of those early deficits have taken place at the Wells Fargo Center this season, where the Flyers are now 10-13-2. When a foe hits the scoreboard first, the energy level in the stands and on the bench seems to drop.

“In general, you want to have a good start to the game,” James van Riemsdyk said. “Start off on the right foot. We know how passionate the fans are so we can use that to our advantage as far as maybe having some better starts. Tonight wasn’t the best start.”