Semyon Varlamov

Ivan Fedotov debuted in relief as the Flyers rallied late for a point, but the Islanders won in overtime to crowd the playoff picture further.

The Flyers begin the homestretch of the regular season as the calendar shifts to April, facing the New York Islanders on Monday night.

The Flyers closed out the preseason on Thursday night with a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center.

The Islanders got the better of the Flyers in this game, using a strong first period to set the foundation and showcasing a clinical closeout effort in the third period of a 2-1 Flyers loss.

The Flyers are six points out of a playoff spot as play resumes, but have five teams to pass in the standings. One of those teams is Monday's opponent, the New York Islanders.

Three goals in the third period, including two in a 22-second span put the New York Islanders up for good, as the Flyers suffered their 10th straight loss on Saturday night.

A loss in Long Island against the New York Islanders, and the Flyers hit the 10-game mark on a losing streak for the third time in a calendar year.

The Flyers dropped their fourth straight preseason game on Sunday night, falling to the Islanders, 2-1.

On one night, the Flyers made it a game late in the second, then had an early third-period goal dash their hopes. The next, they carried the play and took a lead into the late stages of the third before finding a way to lose another game.

The Islanders were able to get the game tied and force overtime late in the third. Eventually in the shootout, both teams went nine rounds before the winning goal was scored, giving the Islanders a 4-3 win over the Flyers to extend the losing streak to nine games.