Sloppy Islanders cough up multiple leads, fall in shootout to Flyers as win streak ends

PHILADELPHIA — It took until late in the day, but a sloppy afternoon caught up with the Islanders just in time to snap a four-game winning streak.

Matvei Michkov’s shootout winner capped a third-period rally for the Flyers and sent the Islanders onto Boston with a bitter taste, having leads of 2-0 and 3-2 to lose 4-3 to Philadelphia on Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The Islanders and Flyers alike played a disjointed, daytime hockey game as if they’d had their Halloween parties the night before, and it was clear from the start that whoever made the fewest mistakes would end up on top.

Despite what was far from their best performance, though, it looked for much of the game like that would turn out to be the Islanders.

Their bottom six — which seems to fit together much easier with Simon Holmstrom on the third line and Kyle MacLean on the fourth, though that comes with Max Shabanov missing time due to injury — looked ready to carry the day, and all 18 skaters were contributing physicality to the mix.

The insertion of Laurel Hollow, New York native Marshall Warren into the lineup was paying dividends, too. Warren, who became the third native Long Islander to suit up for the Isles, and whose childhood picture in orange Islanders gear floated around the internet on Friday after the team announced he would play, appeared on the brink of completing a fairy-tale day.

Warren not only held his own but recorded two assists, the second giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead early in the third period when his blast from the top of the zone was deflected in by Max Tsyplakov.

That wouldn’t be the end of it, though, not with emotions boiling over and both teams freely taking penalties. When Scott Mayfield was called for high-sticking and went to the box for the third time on the day, the Flyers finally took advantage, with Noah Cates stuffing the puck in on a scramble in the crease.

Bo Horvat had the game on his stick 1:06 into the extra period, but was robbed by Samuel Ersson’s glove.

Ersson got the better of Ilya Sorokin in the skills competition, too, leaving the Islanders with just one point.

Sorokin, in his first start since Sergei Naumovs was made the Islanders’ goaltending coach, looked technically sound throughout the afternoon, though his rebound control was shaky at points.

Still, it seemed like one the Islanders could overcome. They won the special teams battle, with Simon Holmstrom opening the scoring shorthanded. Warren’s feed to the right post that set up Anthony Duclair to make it 2-0 at 6:15 of the second was just their sixth shot of the game, but the Islanders were taking advantage of the little offense they could generate.

Christian Dvorak cut the lead in half a few minutes later off an electrifying Trevor Zegras pass to the crease that left Ilya Sorokin with little chance.

Zegras made the Islanders pay again just 1:53 into the third, encountering little resistance as he skated into the zone and buried Dvorak’s feed to tie it at two.

It wasn’t going to be pretty, but the Islanders looked on course to find a way.

Instead, it was the Flyers who did just that, and the Islanders who were wondering how two points slipped through their fingers.