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 And by the look of their third-period push, they truly believed it.
Trailing 2-1 midway through the final stanza, the Flyers ambushed
the Bruins for an important come-from-behind 3-2 win at Wells Fargo
Center.
"Huge win for us," Flyers defenseman Mark Streit said. "We just keep
playing and we don't lose faith."
Philadelphia (19-15-7) scored a pair of goals in a span of 1 minute,
22 seconds in the third to win its fourth straight and tie its
season-best winning streak.
Right winger Wayne Simmonds netted the tying goal while Streit came
through with the game-winner, helping the Flyers gain valuable
ground in the standings as they now trail the Bruins and New Jersey
Devils by two points for the Eastern Conference's second and final
wild-card spot just over half-way through the regular season.
"This time of year, you want to be in position to make a push,"
Flyers center Claude Giroux, who finished with three assists, said.
"It's all about confidence. Right now we have it and we have to make
sure we keep it."
Boston (21-16-5) is having a tough time finding any confidence as
it's lost three in a row and eight of its last 10. Coming into the
game, the Bruins were 14-3-1 when leading after two periods of play.
"Right now, it's a frustrating time for our team," Bruins coach
Claude Julien said. "Missed opportunities at one end and mistakes at
the other, so we've got to turn the tide."
Both the game-tying and go-ahead goals came on rebounds as
Philadelphia's second-effort chances burned Boston.
"We played a pretty good game," Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said. "I
don't want to overanalyze things, but from my perspective, a
goaltender's perspective, it's just a couple unlucky bounces."
Simmonds outskated two Bruins up ice to tie the game 2-2 at 10:10 of
the third period. On a breakout, right winger Jakub Voracek found
Simmonds, who scored his 11th of the season on a rebound off his
initial shot, which bounced right back to him.
Streit then won it shortly after with his fourth goal of the season.
Voracek was huge, scoring a goal to go with two assists.
"Not overly worried about our defensive game," Rask said. "Just some
tough bounces against me and us as a team. Those seemed to decide
the game. Just have to stay even-keeled and stick with it."
Rask (14-13-4), who came in 9-1-2 with a 929 save percentage and
2.07 goals-against lifetime against Philadelphia, made 18 saves.
Flyers goalie Steve Mason (10-10-5) won his third straight by
stopping 30 shots.
"It was kind of a must-win for us," Mason said. "Here's a team
that's in front of you. You need to get these points.
[to top of second column] |
"Guys worked hard for some greasy goals."
After a lousy power play expired, Philadelphia quickly made up for
it by netting the game's first goal with 2:32 remaining in the
opening period. Giroux whipped a shot on net and Voracek
impressively corralled the rebound, reached around a defenseman and
put it home for a 1-0 lead.
The Bruins drew even 8:38 into the second when center Max Talbot
spotted defenseman Kevan Miller cross-ice and delivered him a pass
with plenty of time to windup and blast a snap shot top shelf past
Mason.
As Philadelphia came up empty on its first three power plays, Boston
needed just one to grab the lead in the second. The Bruins, who
entered with the NHL's most successful man advantage, jumped ahead
2-1 when right winger Loui Eriksson scored on a rebound attempt just
25 seconds into their two-minute power play.
The marker, which came with 3:34 left in the second period, was
Eriksson's 15th of the season and Boston seemed in control at second
intermission.
But the Flyers wanted this one and showed it late.
"Every two points is real important for us," Flyers coach Dave
Hakstol said. "We felt that way coming into this game."
NOTES: Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere was out with a lower-body injury
for the second game since he was hurt Jan. 7 against the Minnesota
Wild. Gostisbehere, who has seven goals and nine assists, is
considered day to day. He was replaced by D Brandon Manning. ...
Bruins RW David Pastrnak was scratched moments before the game
because of an upper-body injury. He's considered day to day. RW
Brett Connolly took his spot in the lineup. ... Flyers D Nick
Schultz played his 1,000th game in the NHL. The 33-year-old has
played for four teams in 14 seasons. ... Bruins C David Krejci,
third on the team with 33 points, remained out with an upper-body
injury. Krejci has been out since Dec. 29 and isn't expected to play
on Boston's road trip that concludes Friday. ... Flyers C Jordan
Weal, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 6, was
a healthy scratch for the third straight game.
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