PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) - The Flyers let yet another third period lead slip away.  But this time, they rally to win in the shootout over the Islanders and snap a three-game skid in the process.

Over the last couple of weeks, Philadelphia has fallen into a bit of a dangerous pattern.  They've gotten off to hot starts, scoring early and often to get significant leads.  Then, the other team begins chipping away.  And before you know it, it's back to a tie game, or even worse, a deficit.  That was the main formula for the team's three straight losses, including a shootout defeat, out on the west coast.

The same thing appeared to be happening once again at the Wells Fargo Center against the Islanders.  The Flyers jumped out to a quick 2 goal advantage thanks to a pair of tallies from a surprise source, enforcer Jody Shelley.  But then, the Islanders scored late in the first period to make it a game again.  They scored an equalizer in the second period.  Then, after Philadelphia had regained the lead, New York again tied it up in the third period.

Bobrovsky gets just enough of the puck to keep it out on New York's second attempt in the shootout.

"It's been a frustrating stretch of games, no doubt," said Flyers winger Danny Briere.  "We just have not played well with the lead lately, and it's hard to say why.  We've got to do a lot better, or we're going ot run into trouble, come playoff time."

It was Briere who helped save the Flyers from another disappointing loss.  He netted the only goal in the shootout to give Philly the dramatic win.  It was the eighth such win out of 10 shootouts this season for the team.  Although Sergei Bobrovsky gave up three goals, he did play fairly well in net.  "Bob" stopped a couple of great chances late in the third period that could have given the Isles the win, including a 2-on-1 break on the power play and a penalty shot.  He also kept out all three chances in the shootout.

Giroux hits the 20 goal mark for the second time of his career with this 2nd period tally.

"Bob was great for us tonight, period," said Flyers Head Coach Peter Laviolette.  "He kept us in the game, he saved our butts late in the third period, and he gave us the chance to win in the shootout.  If it wasn't for him, you and I would be talking about another collapse and loss."

The victory gives Philadelphia 85 points on the season, and that's now the most in the NHL.  The team also has a commanding 12 point advantage over second place Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division.  The next week gets a little tougher for the Flyers, however.  They'll be taking on two solid teams on the road in Washington and Toronto.  Detroit is always tough, even if their 28-29-7 record doesn't indicate that, and the Panthers come to town trying to push for a spot in the playoffs.

"We've got some tough games ahead of us.  That's why it was so important to get this win over a division rival, and frankly, over a team we should beat.  We've got to get our focus back, especially when we get the lead.  We've been relaxing too much, and if it continues, we're really going to get burned."

NEW YORK ISLANDERS at PHILADELPHIA FLYERS - Mar 1, 2012
Goal Summary 1 2 3 OT SO FIN NY Islanders (23-30-11) 1 1 1 0 0 3 Philadelphia (41-19-3) 2 1 1 0 1 4 Three Stars Jody Shelley, PHI 2 Goals, 1 Hit, 5 Shots, +1 Sergei Bobrovsky, PHI 42 Saves, .933 SV% Al Montoya, NYI 41 Saves, .932 SV%	Team Comparison Stats Shots on Goal 45 44 Hits 6 8 Faceoffs Won-Lost 36 27 Penalty Minutes 4:00 6:00 Power Plays Converted 0-3 0-2 Passing Percentage 79% 75% Time on Attack 5:45 6:11
SCORING SUMMARY FIRST PERIOD  12:11 J. Shelley (7), (K. Timonen, N. Boynton)  13:19 J. Shelley (8), (B. Betts, J. Jagr)  17:41 J. Bailey (10), (T. Hunter, T. Hamonic) SECOND PERIOD  9:04 B. Comeau (9), (M. Martin, R. O'Byrne)  11:10 C. Giroux (20), (S. Hartnell, D. Briere) THIRD PERIOD  3:23 J. Tavares (16), (K. Okposo, M. Streit) SHOOTOUT  D. Briere
PENALTIES SUMMARY SECOND PERIOD  Delay of Game (Minor) [2:00] A. Montoya THIRD PERIOD  Hooking (Minor) [5:42] B. Schenn  High Sticking (Minor) [13:26] J. Jagr  Cross Checking (Minor) [14:20] N. Boynton  Roughing (Minor) [15:27] P. Parenteau
Philadelphia Flyers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA S. Bobrovsky 45 42 93% 2.77
Philadelphia Flyers - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM B. Betts 14:00 0 1 2 0 0:00 N. Boynton 14:15 0 1 0  0 2:00 D. Briere 21:44 0 1 0 4 0:00 M. Carle 23:04 0 0 -1 2 0:00 B. Coburn 26:47 0 0 1 0 0:00 C. Giroux 21:32 1 0 0 3 0:00 S. Hartnell 21:12 0 1 0 7 0:00 J. Jagr 13:03 0 1 1 4 2:00 A. Meszaros 16:21 0 0 -1 0 0:00 C. Pronger 28:35 0 0 2 2 0:00 B. Schenn 7:31 0 0 -1 0 2:00 J. Shelley 12:51 2 0 1 5 0:00 W. Simmonds 9:43 0 0 -1 1 0:00 M. Talbot 19:20 0 0 -1 3 0:00 K. Timonen 21:03 0 1 -1 2 0:00 J. van Riemsdyk 16:40 0 0 0 1 0:00 J. Voracek 18:56 0 0 0 6 0:00 N. Zherdev 7:23 0 0 -1 4 0:00
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA A. Montoya 44 41 93% 2.82
New York Islanders - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM J. Bailey 11:47 1 0 -1 4 0:00 B. Comeau 11:07 1 0 1 3 0:00 M. Eaton 16:31 0 0 -1 1 0:00 T. Gillies 12:30 0 0 0 3 0:00 M. Grabner 13:08 0 0 -1 3 0:00 T. Hamonic 24:40 0 1 2 4 0:00 T. Hunter 10:56 0 1 0 1 0:00 M. Martin 13:15 0 1 0 3 0:00 S. Montador 26:22 0 0 -1 2 0:00 M. Moulson 24:02 0 0 0 4 0:00 F. Nielsen 14:09 0 0 1 1 0:00 R. O'Byrne 16:12 0 1 -1 1 0:00 K. Okposo 22:43 0 1 0 2 0:00 P. Parenteau 15:04 0 0 0 5 2:00 M. Reasoner 12:02 0 0 -1 1 0:00 B. Sopel 21:43 0 0 1 0 0:00 M. Streit 24:43 0 1 0 1 0:00 J. Tavares 26:21 1 0 1 6 0:00