Ryan Pulock scored with 41 seconds left to cap a frantic final two minutes of the third period for the New York Islanders, who squandered a three-goal lead before edging the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Tuesday night.

Pulock scored on a slapshot less than a minute after Sean Couturier tied the score for the Flyers. Leo Komarov added an empty-netter with four seconds left.

Josh Bailey, Matt Martin and Jordan Eberle scored in the first period for the Islanders, who won for the fourth time in five games to ensure they would remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They are three points ahead of the Flyers, who began Tuesday with sole possession of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.

Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 35 saves.

Travis Konecny and Robert Hagg scored in the second period for the Flyers, who lost for just the second time in six games and failed to collect a point for just the third time in their last 15 games. Goalie Brian Elliott made 20 saves.

A Flyers turnover deep in the Islanders' zone led to Bailey's goal 7:45 into the first. Mathew Barzal picked off a clearing pass by Ivan Provorov and dished to Bailey, whose shot sailed under the stick arm of Elliott as Anders Lee skated into Elliott's line of vision.

Islanders center Derick Brassard won a battle for the puck near the New York blue line with Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim to begin the sequence that led to Martin's goal at 11:13. Brassard's backhand pass hit Martin in stride near center ice and the two players traded the puck once before Brassard's pass through a sliding Scott Laughton hit Martin, who buried the shot into the left corner of the net.

An impressive individual effort by Barzal resulted in the Islanders' third goal with 4:24 remaining in the period. After Lee's backhand shot sailed wide of the net, Barzal corralled the puck, skated through most of the Flyers on the ice and fired a shot that Elliott deflected before Eberle swooped in and tucked home the rebound.

The Flyers outshot the Islanders 14-9 in the second period and scored twice in less than three minutes midway through the period.

Konency put the Flyers on the board at the 9:34 mark when his shot from the left faceoff circle sailed past a kneeling Komarov and through the legs of Varlamov.

The Flyers cut the gap to one goal when Claude Giroux's shot glanced off the right leg of Varlamov and directly to Hagg, who put the rebound home with 8:04 remaining.

The Flyers were 0-for-2 on the power play in the third period but finally tied the game shortly after pulling Elliott with 1:32 left, when Couturier put back the rebound of a shot by Giroux.

--Field Level Media