Sean Couturier, Garnet Hathaway and Morgan Frost scored in the second period Thursday night for the Philadelphia Flyers, who beat the New York Islanders 5-3 in Elmont, N.Y.

Cam York scored what proved to be the game-winner early in the third, and Noah Cates added an empty-netter with 1:12 left for the Flyers, who have won three of four (3-0-1) to climb out of last place in the Metropolitan Division. Goalie Samuel Ersson made 26 saves.

Bo Horvat, Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, who have lost the first two games of a season-long seven-game homestand to fall into last in the Metropolitan. Goalie Ilya Sorokin recorded 19 saves.

The Islanders took the lead by ending their franchise-record power play goal drought at the 9:21 mark of the first period, when Horvat went to one knee at the goal line and fired a shot beyond Ersson’s glove. New York was 0-for-25 on the power play dating back to its last man advantage goal Dec. 8.

The Flyers took control by scoring three times in a span of a little more than eight minutes in the second.

Couturier tied the score at the 5:15 mark. Joel Farabee passed into the crease to Couturier, who was surrounded by Islanders defensemen Noah Dobson and Isaiah George but still managed to get a shot past Sorokin’s left leg. Farabee notched two assists in the game.

The Flyers took the lead for good with a short-handed tally 4:14 later. Travis Konecny skated up the right side of the ice before passing to Hathaway, whose shot sailed beyond a sprawling Sorokin.

Konecny, who finished with three assists, had a hand in setting up Frost’s goal with 6:19 left. The right winger once again sailed up the right side of the ice before passing to Frost, who exchanged the puck with Owen Tippett before sending a shot over Sorokin’s left leg, as the goalie was stuck leaning to his right.

Dobson shoved Tyson Foerster into the boards near center ice to force the turnover that led to Barzal beating Ersson 30 seconds into the third. The Flyers again extended the lead to two goals two seconds after a power play expired at the 5:16 mark, when York scored following a faceoff win by Couturier.

With Sorokin pulled, Lee redirected a shot by Horvat for another power play goal with 2:44 left, but Cates added his empty-netter 92 seconds later.

–Field Level Media