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The New York Islanders are on a roll

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The Islanders defeated the Flyers on Thursday to close the gap for the final wild card spot in the East.

The New York Islanders continue their surge in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Philadelphia Flyers continue to struggle.

The two teams met Thursday, with the Islanders, having won seven of their last 10 games, taking an important 3-1 victory that gets them that much closer to a playoff position. After falling behind in the first period, New York came back for three unanswered goals.

Yes, the Flyers were able to snap their recent goal drought. Yes, they had Shayne Gostisbehere back in the lineup.

But their early lead didn’t last five minutes before John Tavares scored and the Islanders took this one over. They essentially put this one away on a goal from Casey Cizikas -- surely a goal Philly’s netminder Steve Mason would like to have back.

While the organization has been in the news more for off-ice issues surrounding its future in Brooklyn, the Islanders have been on a roll on the ice since the firing of coach Jack Capuano.

The post-season now looks like an attainable goal for the Islanders. They move to within a point of Philadelphia, which has been bumped out of a wild card spot with the Bruins winning against San Jose on Thursday.

So, for now, the Bruins move into the final wild card spot in the East at 60 points. Philly stays at 59 points, and the Islanders are now only two points back of Boston for a playoff spot.

Getting crowded in that wild card race.