On a night that saw the New York Islanders playoff dreams fade further into the abyss, the Philadelphia Flyers suffered a significant loss as well.
While Philly did grab a 6-3 win on over New York Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center, James Van Riemsdyk broke his foot in the first period, forcing him out of the game. No timetable has been placed on the injury with the foot being re-evaluated on Friday.
As for the game, Matt Read continued his candidacy for the Calder Trophy. Read scored twice and had an assist on his way to a three-point night. Scott Hartnell (31), Jaromir Jagr (17), Andrej Meszaros (7), and Sean Couturier (11) each added a goal to help down the Isles. Claude Giroux also added three assists to continue his excellent campaign.
Josh Bailey was the one bright spot for New York, scoring two early goals to keep the Islanders in the mix. Bailey now has nine goals on the season, only one shy of his third straight double-digit year.
Evgeni Nabakov wasn't great, allowing five goals on just 29 shots. With a game like that, New York has absolutely no chance. Granted, the defensive effort left quite a bit to be desired.
The Islanders also struggled on special teams, not scoring on either of their only power plays while not being able to kill their only penalty.
With the loss, New York fell eight points back of the final playoff spot in the East, as of the end of their game.
The Islanders next game is Saturday at the TD Garden against Tim Thomas and the Bruins.
-- For more Islanders coverage, be sure to check out Lighthouse Hockey and SB Nation New York.