NY Islanders eliminated from playoff contention after 4-3 shootout loss to Flyers

It was the longest of long shots with their tragic number sitting at one with four games left to play, but the New York Islanders' postseason hopes officially ended on Saturday afternoon, as they fell 4–3 in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center.

With their backs against the wall, the Islanders fought to the final moments to give themselves a chance at staying alive for a few more hours, if not days. Bo Horvat scored with just 1:01 left in regulation, tying the game 3–3 with goalie Marcus Hogberg pulled for the extra attacker. But after a scoreless overtime, Bobby Brink sealed the win for Philadelphia in the fifth round of the shootout — and with it, ended the Islanders' playoff dreams.

Tyson Foerster powered the Flyers with two goals, while Jakob Pelletier added one. Samuel Ersson stopped 37 shots as the Flyers (33-37-9) picked up their fifth win in six games.

Noah Dobson and Anders Lee each had a goal and an assist for New York (34-33-12), which has now dropped nine of its last 11 games. Dobson gave the Islanders a 2–1 lead late in the second after Lee tipped home a power-play goal earlier in the period. It was Lee's 29th of the season.

“This isn't a place we want to be,” Lee said. “It was, and has been, a year where we left games on the table. We fought through a lot of adversity and did our best to keep our footing and give ourselves a chance in the last 15 games, but [there were] stretches at times that lasted a game or two too long and put us in a spot where it was out of our control.”

Marcus Hogberg made 19 saves in the loss, rebounding from Thursday night's disastrous game against the New York Rangers. This will be the first time since the 2021-22 season that the Islanders didn't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders are back on the ice in New Jersey against the Devils on Sunday at 1 p.m.