Sean Couturier had a goal and an assist, Travis Konecny added three assists and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Islanders 5-3.

Islanders rookie Maxim Tsyplakov had a target on his back after delivering a hard shoulder check on Poehling, who left the game.

The Philadelphia Flyers (20-20-6) took full advantage of a hapless New York Islanders (16-19-7) second period to surge to a 5-3 win in UBS Arena on Thursday night.

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.

On Friday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced it has suspended New York Islanders forward Max Tsyplakov for three games for his illegal check to the head of Flyers forward Ryan Poehling on Thursday night. The third game of his suspension is a rematch between the Flyers and Islanders at UBS Arena.

The New York Islanders suffered their second straight loss, falling 5-3 at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at UBS Arena.

- The Flyers stand in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with 44 points, three points ahead of the Islanders (41 points), though New York has two games in-hand. - The Flyers picked up five of a possible six points in their last three games (2-0-1) after a six-game winless skid (0-5-1).

This is what it looks like when the season slips away in January. A disastrous second period, a total squandering of momentum, a team that played most of the night as though nobody was on the same page and a home crowd that sounded more disappointed than upset.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued New York Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers winger Ryan Poehling on Tuesday night.

Following a questionable body check in a recent game, a New York Islanders forward is facing a mutl-game suspension. The NHL's Department of Player Safety asses

Any win against a divisional rival is a big deal, but the Philadelphia Flyers’ 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders carried extra weight.