There was nothing pretty about the New York Islanders' 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night. And Islanders head coach Lane Lambert didn't mince words postgame.

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- There was nothing pretty about the New York Islanders' 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night.

Well, outside of Karson Kuhlman's breakaway tally in which he broke Carter Hart's ankles for his first goal in an Islanders sweater.

After the Islanders ran a veteran lineup at practice on Wednesday, Thursday's lineup against the Flyers NHL squad was mostly NHL prospects. 

The results didn't matter in the preseason, but what mattered was that young players, including NHLers fighting for roster spots, got another opportunity to impress Lambert as training camp winds down.

Some rose to the occasion. Others fell flat. 

"You have to play well, that's it. We're evaluating, and we're making some decisions," Lambert said. "Some people are here for a reason. We found out some more about other people."

That's quite a statement from Lambert, but it rings true at this time of the year, with the regular season right around the corner. 

The Hockey News asked Lambert what he thought of the effort level in the loss.

"When you don't get the puck out, when you have a chance to get the puck out you spend more time in your own zone, and fatigue sets in," Lambert said. "Sometimes when the legs go, so does the brain [...] I thought we had a couple of situations where we had guys making the wrong decisions."

Forward Oliver Wahlstrom, who is fighting for a roster spot while working his way back from an ACL injury, has struggled to stand out in preseason. 

He did get an assist on a strong forechecking play behind the Flyers net, but outside of that and a power-play one-time shot, he hasn't found a way to be consistently effective. 

Defenseman Samuel Bolduc, who may have just lost the battle for the sixth spot with a weak performance Thursday, has looked overwhelmed like he did in his two games against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

It's hard to knock the prospects who played Thursday night, as they were going up against a full NHL squad. But William Dufour, who has looked remarkable in terms of improvement from last year, failed to stand out. 

Quite frankly, it was more the NHL veterans who struggled than the prospects, as Noah Dobson got beat to the outside a few times while the rest of the defense had their moments. 

Things happen and it's why preseason games are played.

Lambert wasn't concerned with the loss as he looked ahead to Friday night when the Islanders conclude their preseason slate with a nightcap against the New Jersey Devils.