PHILADELPHIA -- In their first six seasons as teammates, Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier rarely played together on the same line.
This season, with Giroux moving from center to left wing, the two have been the Philadelphia Flyers' most productive players.
"They're a real good combination, and right now they're in sync," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said after seeing Giroux and Couturier set up each other's goals, including a breakaway game-winner by Couturier on Tuesday night in Philadelphia's 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"That's a pretty special play by (Giroux), to be able to get that puck to open ice and let (Couturier) skate onto it."
Couturier's game-winner, which broke a 2-2 tie with 2:55 remaining in regulation, was his 15th goal of the season, matching his career high. It came after Giroux backhanded a pass between his own legs and the legs of Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.
"With 'G,' you kind of know he can make those plays," Couturier said. "He's so good at that. I just tried to skate as fast as I could and jump on that loose puck."
Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton also scored goals for the Flyers (12-11-7), and goaltender Brian Elliott made 20 saves to earn his fourth consecutive victory. The Flyers' win was their first at the Wells Fargo Center since Nov. 9, snapping an 0-4-2 streak.
Patrick Marleau and James van Riemsdyk scored for the Maple Leafs, who had their three-game win streak snapped. Frederik Andersen stopped 35 shots in the loss. The Leafs (20-11-1) fell to 10-3-1 in one-goal games. They were outshot 39-22.
"We're a good team, and when we haven't played our best, we've been able to find ways to win," said Leafs right winger Connor Brown, who lost an offensive zone faceoff on Couturier's game-winner. "We need to nip this in the bud before it becomes a problem. We're sitting back a little too much, and we're one and done in the offensive zone."
It was the first time this season the Maple Leafs lost a game in which they were leading entering the third period (12-1-0). It was also Philadelphia's first win when trailing after two periods (1-8-2). Toronto coach Mike Babcock said his team "gifted" both of the Flyers' goals in the third period.
"You can't do that," Babcock said. "I thought we were in a real good situation, and in the end we didn't execute on things we normally execute on to win. That's on us. I thought we let this slip. We've got to get one point for sure, if not two."
After seeing Toronto take the first lead of the game late in the second period, the Flyers tied it 5:36 into the third period when Konecny snapped a shot from the point that caromed off Toronto's Dominic Moore and past Andersen. It was Konecny's fourth goal of the season and just his second in 20 games.
The Maple Leafs entered the game with the NHL's sixth-ranked power play. However, they had gone four straight games without a goal on the man-advantage (0-for-9) before van Riemsdyk redirected a point shot by defenseman Morgan Rielly for his 15th goal of the season and sixth on the power play, both team highs.
Giroux opened the scoring 9:21 into the contest with his 13th goal of the season. Couturier cleanly won a right circle faceoff, allowing Giroux to hammer a one-timer past Andersen.
Babcock was furious after the goal, complaining about Marleau being kicked out of the faceoff circle and replaced by Zach Hyman.
"No official tries to be involved in anything, but I didn't like it," Babcock said.
Twenty-seven seconds later, the Maple Leafs tied it when Marleau and Brown broke in on a two-on-one. Marleau elected to shoot and found a short-side opening on Elliott, who appeared to be expecting Marleau to pass. The goal was Marleau's 11th of the season, snapping a four-game pointless streak. It was also Marleau's 1,100th career point, making him the 60th NHL player to reach that milestone.
NOTES: Maple Leafs C Auston Matthews, who leads the team with 26 points, sat out his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury sustained when he collided with teammate Morgan Rielly on Saturday night against the Penguins. Matthews did not skate with the team Tuesday morning. ... Toronto recalled 2014 first-round pick RW Kasperi Kapanen, 21, from the AHL Marlies on Tuesday, but he was a healthy scratch. ... Flyers D Radko Gudas returned from a 10-game suspension for hitting Winnipeg Jets C Mathieu Perreault on the back of the neck with his stick. Gudas forfeited $408,536 in salary. ... The Leafs continue their three-game road trip with stops in Minnesota on Thursday and Detroit on Friday. ... The Flyers continue their five-game homestand on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
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