Hischier's late goal lifts Devils over Flyers 4-3

By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The All-Star break has done wonders for the New Jersey Devils. They are winning again, and they have gotten the Philadelphia Flyers off their back in the playoff hunt, for now.

No. 1 overall draft pick Nico Hischier scored on a deflection with 1:27 to play, capping the Devils' rally to beat the Flyers 4-3 on Thursday night.

"We know it's a really important game, a four-point game," Hischier said after the Devils won their second straight after the break. "We knew they were right behind us. We had a really good start but it was up and down. At the end we won, and it feels good, but we've got to keep going."

The win was New Jersey's fourth in 14 games (4-7-3) since Dec. 29, and this was big. Had the Flyers held on, they would have tied the Devils with 58 points.

New Jersey, which is now four points ahead with a game in hand, came into the period down 3-2.

Damon Severson tied the hard-fought contest with 9:00 left, and Hischier's first goal in 11 games spoiled goaltender Alex Lyon's first NHL start.

"We had a little bit of a tough second period and it was a little bit dicey at times but we were able to find a way to stay in the game the whole night," Severson said.

Kyle Palmieri and Drew Stafford also scored for the Devils, while Keith Kinkaid made 22 saves.

Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere scored for the Flyers, who were looking for their third win over the Devils in less than a month. Lyon made 18 saves a night after making his NHL debut in relief of Michal Neuvirth, and Philadelphia lost its second in two nights. It also marked the first time the Flyers have lost three straight in regulation.

Blake Coleman set up the winner on a rush. His pass toward the net was re-directed by Hischier between Lyon's pads, just barely getting through and crossing the goal line.

"The guy put it to the net and I thought I was in really good position, but I just opened up a little bit and things happened fast enough in this league where you are going to pay for that," Lyon said. "I learned the hard way. I am just going to try to learn from my mistakes and be sharper next time."

Pavel Zacha set up Severson's tying goal after the Devils won a battle for the puck behind the net.

Gostisbehere gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead 7:01 into the second period with a shot from the left circle that hit off Kinkaid's side and the goalpost before trickling into the net. The puck got to the Flyers defenseman after a cross-ice pass hit off Severson's skate.

"I feel bad for Alex, we kind of let him down there," Gostisbehere said. "It's about getting back on the horse. There is a lot of hockey left. We have to get some wins here."

With both teams right on the playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference heading into the final two-plus months of the regular season, this game was intense. There were two fights in the first period and several scrums, resulting in power plays that led to all four first-period goals.

Palmieri put the Devils ahead 1-0, beating Lyon from the right circle with a shot over the goaltender's shoulder.

Giroux tied it a little more than three minutes later with a shot into an open net with the Flyers enjoying a two-man advantage.

Stafford gave New Jersey 2-1 lead at 13:49, deflecting a shot by John Moore past Lyon. Simmonds scored on a rebound at 15:46 to tie the score at 2-all.

NOTES: Seven of Palmieri's 10 goals have been on the power play. ... Giroux's goal was the Flyers' second this season with a two-man advantage. ... Flyers F Travis Konecny had his five-game goal-scoring streak snapped. .... Philadelphia D Radko Gudas angered the Devils by jumping into Palmieri after a rush into the offensive zone. Travis Zajac got into a fight with Gudas minutes later, but all it did was give Philadelphia the power play on which Simmonds got his 17th goal.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host Ottawa on Saturday night.

Devils: Host Pittsburgh on Saturday night.

Several Capitals players end droughts in 5-3 win over Flyers

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Chandler Stephenson, Andre Burakovsky and T.J. Oshie ended lengthy goal droughts to help the Washington Capitals rally past the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Wednesday night.

Stephenson scored twice after going without a goal for 28 games, Burakovsky scored on the power play after coming up empty for 10 games and Oshie lifted his arms and looked to the sky when he scored on the power-play to end his 13-game dry spell. Devante Smith-Pelly scored Washington's fifth goal on 20 shots to chase Philadelphia starter Michal Neuvirth midway through the third period of a game the Capitals trailed 2-0 after one.

Braden Holtby stopped 27 of the 30 shots, including an important glove save early on Travis Konecny and several saves against Flyers captain Claude Giroux. The Capitals avoided what would have been their first four-game home losing streak since 2010 on the heels of their NHL-best 10-game home winning streak that ended Jan 11.

No. 2 pick Nolan Patrick, Konecny and Jakub Voracek scored for Philadelphia. Alex Lyon made his NHL debut in relief of Neuvirth, stopping five shots in preparation for what could be his first start Thursday at New Jersey.

The Flyers got off to a hot start when Patrick made the most of his promotion to second-line center by scoring on a 2-on-1 rush with Wayne Simmonds just 1:18 in. Holtby robbed Konecny on another rush, but the young forward scored to make it 2-0 at 7:50 as he followed up Sean Couturier's initial shot.

As much as Philadelphia dominated the first period, Washington took over in the second, starting with a mistake by Neuvirth when he lost the puck under him. Stephenson poked it in to get the Capitals on the board and scored on a breakaway 47 seconds later to tie it at 2.

Stephenson's two goals in under a minute came after he scored two in his first 36 games this season.

With Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald in the penalty box for slashing, Lars Eller won a faceoff and a puck battle before directing it on net for Burakovsky's first power-play goal of the season 14:32 into the second to give the Capitals the lead. It was all Capitals from there, though Flyers fans filled the arena with "E-A-G-L-E-S" chants days before the Super Bowl.

NOTES: Smith-Pelly replaced healthy scratch Jakub Vrana, who has one point in 13 games. Smith-Pelly's goal was his first since Jan. 2. ... Patrick had his first career multipoint game. ... Neuvirth and Lyon were Philadelphia's goaltending tandem because Brian Elliott is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Capitals: Visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.

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Follow Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

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For more NHL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Lightning score 3 times in 2nd period, top Flyers 5-1

By DAN GELATIN
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson walked to center ice to a standing ovation from fans still going wild about their favorite football team playing in the Super Bowl.

The Eagles will likely provide the only celebratory sports bash in Philly this year.

Once Pederson dropped the puck, the Lightning flashed a forceful reminder why the best team in the NHL is in Tampa Bay.

Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde and Ryan Callahan each scored in the second period to lead Tampa Bay over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Thursday night, helping the Lightning head into the All-Star break with the best record in the NHL.

Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice late in the third to turn this one into a rout.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 36 shots.

"He's unreal every game," Namestnikov said. "He was solid back there again, and he's a big reason why we won again."

The Flyers pulled the goalie with 7:20 left and got a 6-on-4 goal from Travis Konency. But otherwise the Flyers had nothing for Vasilevskiy and were booed off the ice by a fan base suddenly expecting excellence each time out.

The Lightning are off to their best start in franchise history and top the NHL with 34 wins and 71 points as the league gets set to take a lengthy break. Tampa Bay's stars have little time to rest: Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Vasilevskiy were named to the All-Star team. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was scratched from the game because of injury and was replaced by Point.

"We like where we are in the standings," Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman said. "We've been in a tough stretch and we haven't really found our game. But we're getting back to it. If you take out that first period tonight, we did a lot of good things the last 40."

Tampa Bay was upset at home by the Flyers in December at a time when Philadelphia was not far removed from a 10-game losing streak. The Flyers have turned the season around since, winning four straight and eight of nine heading into Thursday's game. That all ended with a thud against the class of the NHL.

"Hopefully this is a little bit of a wake-up call for the boys," Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds said.

The Lightning - who led the league in goals per game at 3.50 entering Thursday - used three goals in the second to send the Flyers into the break on a loss and leave them in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

Point snapped a scoreless game 25 second into the second on a backhand move to beat Michal Neuvirth for his 20th goal. Gourde pounded in a rebound for his 17th, and Callahan added a short-handed score to make it 3-0.

"We used our speed better, we came out together," Gourde said. "In the second period, we really took our speed and took advantage of that and put the puck deep. We went to work. That was the biggest difference."

Neuvirth got the start with No. 1 goalie Brian Elliott sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux, their lone All-Star, said the team was set to make a serious playoff push.

"It's frustrating to go into a break like this, but you've got to look at what we've been doing for a month or so," he said.

NOTES: Pederson wore a No. 18 Flyers jersey. "It's great to see how this city is behind them," Giroux said. "We're rooting for them." ... The Flyers recalled G Alex Lyon from their AHL team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. ... Tampa Bay wrapped a four-game road trip. ... The loss snapped a five-game home winning streak for the Flyers. It was their first defeat on home ice since January 2.

UP NEXT

Tampa Bay returns Tuesday at Winnipeg.

The Flyers play Wednesday at Washington.

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More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Couturier's goal lifts Flyers over Leafs on Lindros' night

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- On a night that belonged to Eric Lindros, the Philadelphia Flyers paid tribute to the Hall of Fame center with a gritty comeback.

Sean Couturier scored 18 seconds into overtime and the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Thursday after retiring Lindros' No. 88 jersey.

"A huge comeback win on a special night," said rookie Nolan Patrick, who scored his first goal in 25 games.

Couturier continued his hot streak with his eighth goal in six games. He took a feed from Travis Konecny and beat Frederik Andersen with a wrist shot.

Couturier's 26th goal and 46th point in his already career-best season lifted the Flyers to their fifth win in six games.

"Coots is playing on another level right now," Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "We're trying to match it. He's definitely carrying us."

Patrick and Wayne Simmonds scored early in the third period for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth stopped 29 shots in just his second start since Nov. 28, including a sprawling pad save on Patrick Marleau with 2:48 left in regulation.

"Three at least 10-bell saves by Neuvy," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of his backup goalie. "I don't think that's lost on anybody in the building and certainly in the dressing room. He was tremendous."

Fourth-liners Connor Brown and Frederik Gauthier scored 28 seconds apart in the second period for Toronto in its season-high fourth straight loss. Andersen made 34 saves.

Toronto, in a 2-3-4 stretch, last won in regulation on Dec. 28 at Arizona, and Andersen let his teammates have it.

"I don't think we're tired. I think it's a lack of effort at certain points," he said. "It's something that can't happen. If we want to play any meaningful hockey later, we need to figure it out."

Patrick ended Philadelphia's streak of seven unanswered goals allowed with an unassisted tally 2:07 into the third. It was the third of the season for the 19-year-old forward, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft.

The Flyers tied it just over a minute later with only their second short-handed goal of the season, with Simmonds picking up his 16th goal with Jori Lehtera in the box.

Toronto dominated the second period. Brown scored on a breakaway at 12:57 after Gostisbehere's giveaway in the neutral zone. The 22-year-old Gauthier then made it 2-0 with his first goal of the season and No. 3 for his career.

"We can't let the lead go every time we are up by one or two goals," Gauthier said. "There's something to learn here."

The Flyers had more energy late on an emotional night for the franchise.

The big and skillful Lindros, who grew up watching the hometown Maple Leafs in Ontario, spent eight seasons with the Flyers. He won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP in 1995 and helped Philadelphia reach the Stanley Cup Final two years later.

Back on good terms with the organization after an ugly 2001 departure, Lindros received several standing ovations before his number was hoisted to the rafters in a ceremony that delayed the start by an hour.

Lindros attended Flyers practice Wednesday and the morning skate before the game, spending time with veterans Simmonds and Jakub Voracek and marveling about how the game has evolved.

"Those guys are just machines," Lindros said. "They're built for speed. The hands and skill level of today's player is far greater than even five years ago."

As Lindros watched from a suite, the Flyers improved to just 3-8 in overtime.

NOTES: The Flyers considered but decided against challenging Gauthier's goal as offside. . Toronto D Morgan Rielly, who left the ice in pain after the second period, returned for the third. . Gauthier played ahead of Dominic Moore. . Tyrell Goulbourne was back on the Flyers' fourth line after being scratched Tuesday. . Flyers rookie D Travis Sanheim was a healthy scratch for the seventh time in eight games.

UP NEXT

Maple Leafs: Visit Ottawa on Saturday night.

Flyers: Host New Jersey on Saturday afternoon.

Rangers rout Flyers behind Nash's 2 goals

By DENIS P. GORMAN
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Henrik Lundqvist and Brady Skjei sat inside the Rangers' dressing room after shellacking the Flyers, and surprisingly enough, their conversation was all about defense.

Even after Rick Nash scored twice in New York's 5-1 win over Philadelphia, the Rangers were most pleased by what happened in their own end.

"We both said that was our best collective defensive game in a long time, and we end up scoring five goals," Skjei said.

Jordan Weal put Philadelphia up 1-0 before Nash, J.T. Miller, Paul Carey and Michael Grabner combined to make it 5-1 by the end of the second period. Nash had the first and last goal for the Rangers.

"That's a testament to us playing good structurally," Skjei said. "Good team defense first leads to good looks offensively. It was a good game all around."

New York snapped a three-game skid and improved to 23-17-5. Lundqvist made 25 saves for his 20th win of the season and 425th career victory. Lundqvist became the first goaltender in league history to win at least 20 games in each of his first 13 seasons.

Philadelphia dropped to 20-16-8 with its first loss in four games. Brian Elliott gave up five goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Michal Neuvirth in the third period. Neuvirth stopped eight shots.

"We weren't competitive enough," Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds said.

Entering their first meeting of the season, New York and Philadelphia were on significantly different trajectories. The Flyers had won four straight by an aggregate 21-11 margin, while the Rangers had scored two or fewer goals in eight of their last 10 games.

Coupled with the Islanders' 4-1 loss to New Jersey, the Rangers passed Pittsburgh and the Islanders for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have a game in hand on the Islanders. Pittsburgh, which was off, now holds the second wild card.

Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead 2:06 into the game after Weal, positioned between Lundqvist, the right post and Kevin Shattenkirk, deftly redirected Radko Gudas' drive.

Nash tied it 4:24 later with his 10th of the season and his first since Dec. 15. Pavel Buchnevich set up Nash for the breakaway goal with a stretch pass between Gudas and Brandon Manning, and New York's veteran right wing snapped a shot past Elliott.

"It's what I'm supposed to do," Nash said.

New York's sputtering power play came through 16:50 into the period when Miller tipped Ryan McDonagh's slap shot past Elliott. New York entered 3 for 31 on the man advantage dating to Dec. 19, but finished 1 for 2 against the Flyers.

The Rangers ended the opening period on Carey's short-handed semi-breakaway with 9.4 seconds remaining. The goal was Carey's sixth of the season.

Grabner increased the lead to 4-1 with an unassisted goal at 10:48 of the second after stripping Jakub Voracek at the Philadelphia blueline. Nash's second of the game with 2:32 left in the period pushed the lead to 5-1.

NOTES: This was the latest date in an 82-game season that New York and Philadelphia opened the regular season series. ... The longtime rivals will meet three more times this season: Feb. 18 in New York, March 22 in Philadelphia and April 7 in Philadelphia. ... After being called up from AHL Hartford on Monday, Peter Holland dressed and began the game centering New York's third line between Grabner and Jesper Fast. The Rangers acquired Holland in a trade with the Canadiens on Nov. 30, 2017, which sent Adam Cracknell to Montreal. ... Holland dressed in place of C Kevin Hayes, who missed his second straight game with a leg contusion. ... During the second intermission, New York announced D Marc Staal would not return due to a lower body injury.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host Toronto on Thursday night.

Rangers: Host Buffalo on Thursday night.

Couturier helps Flyers beat Devils 5-3

By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – Sean Couturier is hoping for a strong finish to his breakout season.

So far, so good.

Couturier had two goals and an assist and the Philadelphia Flyers posted their fourth straight win and extended New Jersey's slide to a season-high six games with a 5-3 victory over the Devils on Saturday night.

"I just want to keep going the way it was," said Couturier, who has seven goals in his last four games. "There's still another half of the year to play, so I had a good first half but need a better second half to make a push and make the playoffs. Just need to keep going and rolling."

Wayne Simmonds, Travis Konecny and Michael Raffl also scored for the Flyers, who have won five of six overall. Claude Giroux had the primary assist on two power-play goals and Brian Elliott made 26 saves as Philadelphia won in New Jersey for the first time since Feb. 16. 2016.

Couturier is up to 25 goals after his previous career high was 15. He is reaping the benefits on playing on the Flyers' top line with Giroux and Konecny.

Couturier's second goal of the night came on the power play and put Philadelphia ahead 3-2 late in the second period.

"He's good every night," Konecny said. "You get used to it. It's been the same for the first half."

Jesper Bratt, Kyle Palmieri and Drew Stafford scored for the Devils, who are 0-3-3 during their slide. Cory Schneider had 20 saves.

"You can't skid like this with everybody behind you," Schneider said of the tight Eastern Conference standings. "Again, we can't worry or hope or depend on other teams. We have to worry about our team and make sure we get this stopped. Not only that. We want to play well, play the right way."

With both teams coming off their midseason break, the game was billed as the first matchup between Nico Hischier of the Devils and Nolan Patrick of the Flyers, the top two picks in recent NHL draft.

While Hischier had the primary assist on Bratt's game-opening goal and Patrick picked up two second-period penalties, including one that led to Palmieri's goal, it was Couturier and the Flyers' special teams who stole the show.

"In games like that, the PP helps," Flyers forward Jakub Voracek said. "We took seven penalties, too. We knew we would get some opportunities in the second and we scored some goals on that so it helped us. Sometimes you get lucky and that's what happens."

The Flyers, who took the first five penalties, killed off 5 of 7 and scored on their only two extra-man chances.

Konecny put his own breakaway rebound past Schneider in the third, and Raffl iced the game with a backhander on an odd-man rush. Stafford scored in the final minute on a power play.

The Devils took leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before the Flyers grabbed control in coach Dave Hakstol's 100th win with the team.

Simmonds tied it at 2 on Philadelphia's first power play when Giroux's shot deflected off his knee past Schneider.

NOTES: Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere was scratched because of an illness. ... Flyers D Radko Gudas played in his 300th game. ... Giroux moved past Mark Recchi for eighth place on the Flyers' career scoring list with 629 points in 11 seasons. ... Taylor Hall's two assists for New Jersey gives him eight points (three goals, five assists) in the last four games.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Visit New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Devils: Visit New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Couturier stays hot, Flyers drop Sabres 4-1 for 3rd straight

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Barely a month removed from a 10-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers have climbed back into playoff contention.

They can thank the high-scoring trio of Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.

Couturier scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and added an empty-netter to put it away and the Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 on Sunday for their third straight victory.

The Flyers (19-15-8) entered their NHL-mandated five-day break in a logjam with Carolina, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot.

"It reveals what you have in terms of leadership inside of the locker room," coach Dave Hakstol said of how the team bounced back from their 0-5-5 stretch.

"They had the right response, day after day, through a real hard time, believed in themselves and found a way to dig out of a hole."

Couturier took a feed from Giroux on the power play and scored from the left dot at 7:17 of the second period to snap a 1-all tie. Giroux, who entered third in the NHL in points, earned his 52nd.

Couturier's goal with 1:15 left provided a cushion and Ivan Provorov's empty-netter with 33 seconds left gave the Flyers 16 goals in three games.

It's been quite a week for Couturier, who had a Gordie Howe hat trick (goal, assist, fight) in a 6-4 win over the Islanders on Thursday and scored two goals in Saturday's 6-3 win over St. Louis.

Couturier has a career-high 23 goals, and his 42 points are three more than his previous best season.

"I probably wouldn't have thought I would have that many early on, but I'm just doing whatever I can to help the team," Couturier said. "Obviously playing with (Giroux) he's a great passer and I just try to find the open areas."

Voracek, the anchor of the second line, showed off his passing by collecting two more assists to give him an NHL-high 43.

Shayne Gostisbehere also scored and Michal Neuvirth stopped 30 shots as the Flyers got even for a Dec. 22 defeat in Buffalo.

Ryan O'Reilly scored and Robin Lehner made 25 saves for the Sabres, who finished a seven-game trip 1-4-2.

While most of Buffalo was focused on the Bills' 10-3 loss to Tennessee in their first NFL playoff game in 18 years, the last-place Sabres took a 1-0 lead on O'Reilly's power-play goal at 1:50 of the second period.

The Flyers tied it less than two minutes later on Gostisbehere's wrist shot at the end of tic-tac-toe passing by Scott Laughton and Jori Lehtera.

"We get that big power-play goal and then from that point we just changed the way we were playing for some reason," Sabres coach Phil Housley said.

Each goalie made a spectacular save. Neuvirth kept it scoreless with a glove snag of Sam Reinhart in the first period, and Lehner robbed Wayne Simmonds with his left arm to keep it 2-1 in the second.

Lehner crumpled to the ice after taking Robert Hagg's hard shot off his neck in third period. He was treated and stayed in the game.

"It took me a while to get the feeling back, but I'll be fine," Lehner said.

Neuvirth was sharp in his first start since Nov. 28, but will now get more time off as the Flyers won't practice again until Friday.

"It's always fun coming to the rink when you're winning," Couturier said. "But at the same time it's important to get a break and get ready for the last stretch of the year."

NOTES: The Sabres have been away while their arena hosted the world junior hockey championship. ... F Benoit Pouliot, a healthy scratch for the first time Friday, returned to the Sabres' fourth line ahead of Jordan Nolan. ... Flyers F Tyrell Goulbourne missed much of the second period with a broken skate, then was sent to Lehigh Valley of the AHL after the game. ... Flyers D Travis Sanheim was a healthy scratch for a fifth straight game.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Home on Tuesday vs. Winnipeg.

Flyers: Saturday at New Jersey.

Penguins score 4 in 2nd period to top Flyers 5-1

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ryan Reaves can be quick to drop his gloves and start a timely fight to spark his team. With his gloves on, Reaves instead found another way to lift Pittsburgh with an opportune goal.

Reaves had a rare goal and an assist, and the Penguins scored four times in the second period to beat the scuffling Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Tuesday night.

In the waning minutes of Pittsburgh's rout, Reaves joked that he was still looking for a scrap to set himself up for a Gordie Howe hat trick. He tallied only his second goal and third assist of the season - leaving out the fight he thought for sure he'd get to hit for hockey's cycle.

"That would be a first time, for sure," he said, laughing. "I asked (Jake) Voracek but he said no. I was very shocked. He's pretty tough."

The Penguins could afford to yuck it up in the locker room after fourth-liners Reaves and Tom Kuhnhackl helped put the game away in the second period. Phil Kessel and Conor Sheary also scored in the second as Pittsburgh beat its state rival once again. Both teams began the night outside the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

"You want to bury your rivals," Reaves said.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott, making his 14th straight start, allowed the four goals on just eight shots in the second period and was yanked for Michal Neuvirth in the third.

"You want to be at your best. I wasn't and I don't think anybody can say they were, either," Elliott said.

The Penguins lost goalie Tristan Jarry to an injury in the second. Jarry, who had a 1.56 goals-against average and .943 save percentage over his last three games, appeared to take a stiff shot off his blocker hand and was checked by the team trainer. Matt Murray kept the Flyers scoreless the rest of the way.

The Penguins' scoring burst came in just four minutes and they needed only 40 seconds during that span to score twice and take a 3-1 lead. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby had an assist on Kessel's 17th goal, but the Penguins also got goals from fourth-liners Reaves and Kuhnhackl to break the game open. Reaves snapped a 1-all tie with his second and Sheary scored 40 seconds later for his 11th. Kuhnhackl got his second of the season to make it 4-1.

Reaves and Kuhnhackl each scored against Philadelphia's top defensive pair, Robert Hagg and Travis Konecny, and the Flyers were unable to build on a huge road win at Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay.

"First 30 minutes of this hockey game, there's very little that I would change," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said.

It was the next 30 that gave Philadelphia fits.

Jamie Oleksiak made it 5-1 with a power-play goal in the third to seal just the Penguins' fourth win over the last 11 games.

"We definitely needed a game like that where the offense is clicking and we're playing good defense," Reaves said. "It's something to build off, but we need to string a couple of those together."

Jordan Weal scored his fourth of the season for the Flyers.

Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux had his streak of seven straight games with an assist snapped.

"We know we're a better team than that and we'll have to answer next game," Giroux said.

NOTES: Penguins defensemen Kris Letang and Justin Schultz returned from injuries. Letang had missed the last three games and Schultz had missed 11 because of undisclosed injuries. ... Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson received a huge ovation when he was introduced in the first period. ... The Flyers' bench door appeared to break in the third. ... Oleksiak scored his first goal for Pittsburgh since he was acquired last month from Dallas. ... Crosby has 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) in 29 career games at Philadelphia. ... Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin and forward Carter Rowney also were injured.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Flyers: Also play Thursday in the second of a four-game homestand against the New York Islanders.

Sean Couturier scores 16th goal, Flyers top Red Wings 4-3

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Sean Couturier set a career high for goals in a season, Robert Hagg scored the first goal of his career and Nolan Patrick showed spark.

Most importantly, the Philadelphia Flyers found a way to win when they didn't play their best.

Couturier scored off his own rebound to snap a tie early in the third period and the Flyers rallied from two one-goal deficits to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Wednesday night.

After a 10-game skid, the Flyers won for the seventh time in eight games and moved within two points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

"When we went through that streak we were finding ways to lose games," said Dale Weise, who along with Wayne Simmonds accounted for the rest of the Flyers' scoring. "Now we're sitting here 7-1 in our last eight and we're finding ways to win games when we don't play complete games. That's what I think good teams do."

Claude Giroux had three assists, Patrick had his first point in 10 games and Brian Elliott made 25 saves in his ninth straight start as the Flyers finished a five-game homestead 4-1.

"From top to bottom I think we did a good job of keeping everything internal." Elliott said of the club's 0-5-5 stretch. "We talked it out, we changed some things systematically and we had that belief throughout the whole organization that we can do it."

Martin Frk and Mike Green had power-play goals, Gustav Nyquist also scored and Jimmy Howard made 27 saves for the Red Wings. They were trying to win three straight for the first time this season.

"It was just a hard game," Frk said. "We knew they were good offensively and they cored a couple of nice goals."

Couturier, in his seventh season, set a career high for goals in a season with his team-best 16th when he beat Howard with a second-chance shot at 5:57.

"Coots is doing everything that's asked of him," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "He's thrived with responsibility."

The Red Wings were steamed at the end of the game as it appeared they were going a man-up when Jakub Voracek was called for elbowing with 2:06 left. But it was evened up when Andreas Athanasiou was given an embellishment penalty on the play.

"Either you make a call or you don't make a call at all," center Henrik Zetterberg said.

The Flyers tied it at 2 on the power play in a wild second period when Simmonds finished perfect tick-tack-toe passing from Voracek and Giroux at 10:48 for his 11th goal.

Nyquist's 10th goal 41 seconds later put Detroit ahead 3-2, but Hagg answered at 13:40 on a slap shot through traffic. Simmonds raced into the net to retrieve the puck for Hagg, who was playing in his 35th NHL game, and he was swarmed by his teammates.

"I kind of blacked out," a smiling Hagg said.

The Flyers struck first at 15:19 of the first period when Weise collected a rebound and scored on a wraparound after Patrick won a faceoff against Darren Helm.

Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, won nine of 12 face-offs.

"I thought that was one of his better games," said Weise, a linemate. "I think he's been coming on strong the past four or five games."

Frk's second goal in as many nights tied it with with 1.3 seconds left in the first as he took a feed from Dylan Larkin on the power play.

Detroit went ahead 2-1 5:50 into the second period on Green's point shot as Jordan Weal served a double-minor for high-sticking.

NOTES: Voracek earned his NHL-high 34th assist. ... Red Wings fourth-line C Luke Glendening (upper body) didn't play after the first period. ... Red Wings LW David Booth played and RW Luke Witkowski was scratched. ... Flyers F Jori Lehtera replaced Taylor Leier (upper body) on the fourth line.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: At Boston on Saturday.

Flyers: At Buffalo on Friday night.

Kings finish rough trip with win over Flyers

PHILADELPHIA -- Seconds after watching his teammates kill a key penalty in the third period, Adrian Kempe busted out of the penalty box to score a pivotal goal in the Los Angeles Kings' 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.

"I thought he was terrific tonight," Kings coach John Stevens said. "He's had some timely goals for us, and it was great to see him get rewarded."

Alec Martinez, Trevor Lewis and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Kings. Jonathan Quick turned aside 36 shots as Los Angeles (21-10-4) ended a four-game road trip with a win, snapping a three-game losing streak.

"We knew we were matched up against a team that had won six in a row and we knew we would need contributions from everyone in the lineup, and we did that tonight," Martinez said.

Jakub Voracek scored the lone goal for the Flyers (14-12-7), who had their six-game win streak snapped.

Brian Elliott (21 saves) took his first defeat since Dec. 2.

"It was a tight game and they didn't make any mistakes," Voracek said. "We had a good run with six wins, and we've played really good hockey over the last two weeks. We've got to make sure we don't get stuck on losing. We've got to find a way to win on Wednesday (against the Detroit Red Wings) and hopefully start another streak."

The Kings killed off five of the Flyers' six power plays. Los Angeles entered the game ranked first in the NHL with an 86.7 percent success rate.

"Special teams can generate momentum in a hockey game, and the PK is a really big part of that," Martinez said. "Even the one we gave up today, (Drew) Doughty blocks a shot and it goes right to (Voracek). I'll take that play every day of the week."

The game turned early in the third period, when the Kings, clinging to a one-goal lead, killed off a cross-checking penalty to Kempe. The 21-year-old left winger scored just six seconds after being released from the penalty box, beating Elliott with a shot past his catching glove.

"I saw the goalie was cheating a little bit to the far side, so there was a little open spot on the glove side, and that's what I tried to aim for," Kempe said of his 11th goal of the season.

Elliot said, "He just shot through a screen and I didn't see it. I just saw a guy driving backdoor, and he shot it through a screen."

The Kings killed off two more Philadelphia power plays in the final period to secure the win.

Just as they did two nights earlier in a 4-3 overtime loss in Brooklyn, the Kings opened up a 2-0 first-period lead.

Martinez's third of the season came 5:27 into the game off a faceoff win by Torrey Mitchell, who cleanly beat Scott Laughton and drove the net for a screen. It was Martinez's first goal in 20 games since Nov. 4.

Lewis made it 2-0 at 16:46 of the first, beating Elliott past his catching glove on a nice feed from center Nick Shore. It was Lewis' eighth goal of the season and first in 12 games.

"I didn't think we were sharp enough at the start," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "We started off by giving them a faceoff goal. Their second goal is on a line change. I didn't think we made them work hard enough for the opportunities they scored the goals on."

The Flyers had a pair of power plays in the opening period and converted with 1:56 remaining to draw within 2-1. Claude Giroux's shot was blocked by Doughty, and the puck went directly to Voracek. The NHL assists leader one-timed a shot past Quick for his eighth goal of the season and second on the power play.

NOTES: Los Angeles D Christian Folin left the game with an upper-body injury after the first period and did not return. He will be re-examined on Tuesday. ... Kings RW Dustin Brown played in his 999th NHL game. The hard-hitting 33-year-old veteran has been incredibly durable in his NHL career, missing just 17 games over the past 14 seasons. ... Los Angeles LW Andy Andreoff returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous 10 games. He played on a fourth line with C Torrey Mitchell and RW Jonny Brodzinski, who sat out the previous two games. ... Before the game, Flyers G Brian Elliott was named NHL's second star of the week. ... The Flyers played their 23rd game against a Western Conference opponent, the most by any Eastern Conference team.

Flyers edge Sabres for fifth straight victory

PHILADELPHIA -- During their 10-game losing streak last month, the Philadelphia Flyers couldn't find a way to win a one-goal game, losing six of them during that stretch.

The Flyers (13-11-7) have been far more decisive in close games since and Thursday night, they won for the fifth straight time, carving out a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

"I think it was a boring game," said Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek, who set up Valtteri Filppula's game-winning goal late in the second period. "It wasn't fun to watch."

Defenseman Travis Sanheim netted his first NHL goal and goaltender Brian Elliott turned aside 19 shots to improve his career record against Buffalo to 12-1-2.

Ryan O'Reilly scored the only goal for the Sabres, who saw their modest four-game points streak (2-0-2) come to an end. Goaltender Robin Lehner made 25 saves for Buffalo (8-18-6), which has the NHL's second-worst record behind Arizona.

The Sabres have scored one or fewer goals in 12 of their 32 games this season and rank last in the NHL with 68 goals in 32 games (2.1 per game).

"We've got to find a way to find the back of the net more," said Sabres center Jack Eichel, who was held without a shot for only the second time this season and was held without a point for the 13th time. "We had our chances. I don't think our execution was where it should be."

Elliott was a big reason the Sabres didn't have more Thursday night. After a rocky start, he made several key saves in the third period, including two stops on Evander Kane.

The Flyers entered the third period with a 2-1 lead, thanks to Filppula's eighth goal of the season with 2:33 remaining in the second. The 33-year-old veteran took a nice feed from Voracek and roofed a shot over Lehner. It was only the fourth goal in the last 25 games for Filppula, who started the season with four in his first seven contests.

It was also the 31st assist of the season for Voracek, who is among the league leaders in that category.

"It was a nice pass," Filppula said. "Jake made a good play to me and I was happy to see it go in."

Elliott had trouble handling the puck in the opening period. His clearing attempt from behind the net was intercepted by Zemgus Girgensons, who quickly fed O'Reilly for an open netter. It was O'Reilly's eighth goal of the season and first in 13 games.

A few minutes later Elliott again gave the puck away, this time to Sam Reinhart, whose open-net attempt kicked off the skate of Flyers center Nolan Patrick.

"They came hard and there was a little miscommunication," said Elliott, who benefited from 19 blocked shots, including five from Andrew MacDonald. "A bad play on my part. That can go sideways in a hurry, but we sorted it out."

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol agreed, saying his team might have had trouble handling an early goal against the way they did Thursday.

"It is different now," Hakstol said. "You can take a punch a little better when you have a little swagger to your game."

Immediately after Patrick's skate save on Reinhart, the Flyers quickly broke down the ice and Sanheim snapped a shot over the right shoulder of Lehner for his first NHL goal in his 28th NHL game.

"Obviously, it was a long time coming, but it's exciting to get my first one," Sanheim said.

Lehner was upset about the goal after the game, calling it "unfortunate."

"I kind of slipped on their first goal and lost my balance," Lehner said. "Now we've got to go back home and win tomorrow."

NOTES: Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen entered the game leading Buffalo in average ice time (27:07), hits (68) and blocked shots (44). Only Minnesota Wild D Ryan Suter has averaged more ice time per game (27:23). ... The Sabres return home to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, the Boston Bruins on Tuesday and the Flyers on Dec. 22. ... LW Michael Raffl played in his 300th NHL game, all as a Flyer. ... Philadelphia continues its five-game homestand Saturday night against the Dallas Stars. They'll face the Los Angeles Kings on Monday and the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday before a four-game road trip.

Giroux's slick pass helps Flyers beat Maple Leafs

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.

Schenn, Allen and Elliott Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ of the Week

NEW YORK – St. Louis Blues center Brayden Schenn, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen and Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending Dec. 10.

FIRST STAR – BRAYDEN SCHENN, C, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Schenn led the NHL with 6-1—7, including at least one goal in all four of his appearances, to power the Blues (21-8-2, 44 points) to a perfect week and the top of the Western Conference standings. He notched his third career hat trick, including the decisive goal, in a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 5. Schenn then scored the winning goal in a 3-0 triumph against the Dallas Stars Dec. 7 and registered 1-1—2 in a 6-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings Dec. 9. He closed the week with another tally, marking the second four-game goal streak of his NHL career (also Jan. 8-14, 2017: 4-0—4 in 4 GP w/ PHI), in a 3-2 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 10. The 26-year-old Saskatoon, Sask., native ranks fifth in the NHL with 16-21—37 in 31 outings this season. He also paces the League in game-winning goals (t-6), shootout-deciding goals (t-2) and plus/minus (+25).

SECOND STAR – JAKE ALLEN, G, ST. LOUIS BLUES

Allen went 4-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average, .944 save percentage and one shutout to guide the Blues to their third four-game winning streak of the season (also Oct. 4-10 and Oct. 25-30). He made 22 saves in a 4-3 victory against the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 5. Allen then turned aside all 29 shots he faced, earning his 16th career shutout in a 3-0 triumph over the Dallas Stars Dec. 7. He added a pair of weekend wins, recording 28 saves in a 6-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings Dec. 9 and 22 stops in a 3-2 overtime triumph over the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 10. The 27-year-old Fredericton, N.B., native shares second place in the NHL with 17 victories in 26 contests this season (17-6-2), compiling a 2.54 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout.

THIRD STAR – BRIAN ELLIOTT, G, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Elliott posted a trio of victories – along with a 1.67 goals-against average and .954 save percentage – to help the Flyers (11-11-7, 29 points) bounce back from a 10-game skid (0-5-5) and complete a perfect road trip through Western Canada. He made 43 saves in a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames Dec. 4, 24 stops in a 4-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers Dec. 6 and 36 saves in a 4-1 triumph over the Vancouver Canucks Dec. 7. The 32-year-old Newmarket, Ont., native – who is in his first season with Philadelphia – owns a 9-6-6 record, 2.79 goals-against average and .912 save percentage through 22 appearances.

Flyers top Canucks for third straight win

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- What they were doing wasn't working so the Philadelphia Flyers made some adjustments to how they played.

Judging by the results of a three-game swing through Western Canada, the Flyers might have found a formula to help turn their season around.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux scored a goal and added an assist each as the Flyers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to three games.

Combined with victories at Calgary on Monday and at Edmonton on Wednesday, the Flyers have their longest winning streak of the season and have climbed to within six points of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Prior to the road trip, Philadelphia had lost 10 consecutive games (0-5-5).

"Obviously something had to change," said Gostisbehere, who scored his fourth goal of the season.

Gostisbehere said the Flyers have adapted a more passive system, allowing teams to come to them. They are content to sit back in the neutral zone and not force the play. It's a system that helps simplify things and reduce mistakes.

"It's good to see if our team makes a couple of adjustments we can adapt to it and it's working," he said. "We know it's not going to go perfect the rest of the season but it's just a matter of us bearing down and sticking with it and staying together as a team.

"It really showed the character of our team."

After a rough start, Giroux said the Flyers are starting to feel good about themselves again.

"It's good for our confidence," he said. "We changed a couple things how we want to play and our identity as a team. Everybody has bought into it.

"It makes it a lot more fun."

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said it's the players, not the system, that has turned things around.

"The little tweaks and changes we made, that's not the difference maker," he said. "It's the players.

"They all stuck together and kept working hard and believing in themselves and each other."

Michael Raffl and Wayne Simmonds, into an empty net, also scored for the Flyers (11-11-7). Jakub Voracek continued his hot streak with three assists, giving him 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 11 games.

Brock Boeser scored for the Canucks (14-11-4), who saw their three-game win streak end.

The Flyers started slowly and gave up the first nine shots of the game. The Canucks had several great scoring chances, but Philadelphia got some key stops from goaltender Brian Elliott. He made 35 saves for his 200th NHL victory.

"We were a little slow out of the gate and they came out pretty hard," said Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald. "He made some crucial saves early that really let us calm down."

Elliott, playing his second game in as many nights, knew the Canucks would try to pressure the Flyers early.

"We knew they come out hot here and you have to weather that storm, especially on a back-to-back," he said. "I thought we did a great job.

"They brought it and we weathered it and moved on."

Two of the Flyers' goals came on power plays. Philadelphia took control of the game in the second period, scoring twice for a 3-1 lead.

Raffl put the Canucks on their heels, scoring just 45 seconds into the period. It was his third goal in as many games.

Vancouver's Sam Gagner said the game might have been different if the Canucks had scored early.

"I think we were carrying the play for the better portion of the first period," he said. "We have to find a way to put one in.

"I think for the most part we played a good hockey game and probably deserved a better fate. We didn't get it. We know we have to bounce back the next game."

The Canucks gave the Flyers six power-play chances.

"That's too many," said goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who finished with 22 saves. "They have a good power play and they scored goals. When you give them chances, they ended up scoring."

NOTES: Canucks C Bo Horvat could miss six weeks with a fractured right foot sustained Tuesday in a win over Carolina. C Alexander Burmistrov, a healthy scratch in 10 of the previous 13 games, took Horvat's spot on the first line. ... After the game, the Canucks announced they traded D Jordan Subban to Los Angeles for RW Nic Dowd. ... Vancouver scratched C Michael Chaput and G Thatcher Demko, who both were called up from the AHL Utica Comets, and D Alex Biega. ... The Flyers went 7:26 of the first period before registering a shot on net, then had seven shots during their first power play. ... Flyers D Radko Gudas sat out the final game of his 10-game suspension. He is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday against Toronto. ... The Flyers won't have another road trip of more than two games until late March. ... Scratches for Philadelphia were D T.J. Brennan and C Jori Lehtera.

Flyers top Oilers for second straight win

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Philadelphia Flyers came to Alberta knowing they needed to do whatever was necessary to win. They certainly weren't entertaining, but they were effective, winning two in row.

After breaking a 10-game losing skid with a win over the Flames in Calgary on Monday, the Flyers continued their turnaround with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.

Wayne Simmonds had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Weal, Dale Weise and Michael Raffl also scored for Philadelphia, which was on an 0-5-5 run before Monday. Goalie Brian Elliott made 23 saves for the Flyers (10-11-7).

Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the goals for the Oilers (11-15-2). Edmonton goalie Laurent Brossoit, who gave up five goals in his most recent start prior to Wednesday, stopped 29 shots.

The Flyers held the Oilers to just 25 shots in what was a grinding sort of game. Philadelphia got a breakaway marker, and the Oilers scored on an odd-man rush, but for the most part, shots came from the outside and Elliott wasn't called upon to make an outstanding save until the third period.

Elliott said boring, winning hockey is just fine with him.

"We talked about it. These aren't our fans out here, we don't have to entertain them," he said. "We just have to come away with the two points. We are playing that good road-style hockey when you have nothing, you have to get it in deep and live to fight another day, and I think our guys are really buying into that right now."

Brossoit started well, stopping all the shots he faced in the first period as the Flyers outshot the home team 13-7.

The Oilers opened the scoring at 3:41 of the second period. With Edmonton short-handed, Connor McDavid and Draisaitl stormed up the ice on a two-on-one break. McDavid slipped a backhand pass to Draisaitl, and the German got the puck past Elliott before the goalie could get his pad across to stop the shot.

Philadelphia responded on its fourth power-play of the game, scoring on its 22nd shot on Brossoit. Weal was on the doorstep to tip home a pass from Sean Couturier at 8:53 of the middle period.

Oilers defenseman Matthew Benning admitted it was a backbreaker to give up a power-play goal so soon after scoring a short-handed marker, and he took the blame for the defensive breakdown.

"I thought our penalty kill did a good job, and the one they scored, I've got to get in that stick lane and take that pass away," Benning said.

Weal had a different perspective on the goal.

"That felt good, it's been a long time coming," Weal said. "It's not been for a lack of hard work and creating chances. It's nice when you can get out with special players like that and I was able to find a good spot and (Couturier) made a good play to find me."

The Flyers then scored on shot No. 24. Weise's 25-footer trickled through Brossoit's legs at 14:45 of the second.

"I battled hard," said Brossoit, who has given up five goals or more in four of his nine appearances this season. "There were a lot of improvements, a couple of things that I wanted to make sure I did tonight, and did.

"Having said that, I want to give a little bit more. Maybe if that second goal was eliminated, it would eliminate some of the pressure on our forwards. In hindsight, things like that are what I want to eliminate from my game. There were a lot of good things I felt I did out there, but the win is priority number one."

Weise said, "It definitely feels good, definitely the way we played, too, it's a pretty complete effort from our team. Getting contributions from everyone, it's going to be huge if we want to keep stringing some wins together."

Just 10 seconds into the third period, the Oilers stormed into the Flyers' zone, and defenseman Darnell Nurse clanged a shot off the crossbar.

At 4:06, Raffl was sent off on a breakaway thanks to a great defense-breaking pass from Jakub Voracek, and he put the puck over Brossoit's glove to make it 3-1.

Nugent-Hopkins made it close with 6:40 left on the clock, banging home a rebound from a Patrick Maroon shot. McDavid had a great chance to tie the game with two minutes left, but Elliott made a save after the Oilers star dashed around two Flyers.

Simmonds got an empty-netter with 39 seconds left to seal the game.

NOTES: The Flyers and Oilers wrapped up their season series. The Flyers beat the Oilers 2-1 in Philadelphia in October. ... The Flyers placed D Brandon Manning and G Michal Neuvirth on injured reserve hours before the game, and they recalled D TJ Brennan and G Alex Lyon from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. ... Brennan was a healthy scratch along with C Jori Lehtera, while Lyon backed up starter Brian Elliott. ... Oilers G Cam Talbot, currently on injured reserve, is expected to start skating later this week. ... The Oilers scratched D Brandon Davidson and LW Nathan Walker, who were both acquired on the waiver wire earlier this week. Also scratched was LW Anton Slepyshev.

GAME SUMS

First Period-None. Penalties-Benning, EDM, (holding), 3:33; Draisaitl, EDM, (interference), 12:43.
Second Period-1, Edmonton, Draisaitl 8 (McDavid), 3:41 (sh). 2, Philadelphia, Weal 3 (Giroux, Couturier), 8:53 (pp). 3, Philadelphia, Weise 3 (Simmonds, Giroux), 14:45. Penalties-Maroon, EDM, (interference), 2:08; Sanheim, PHI, (tripping), 5:11; Klefbom, EDM, (interference), 7:49.
Third Period-4, Philadelphia, Raffl 4 (Voracek), 4:06. 5, Edmonton, Nugent-Hopkins 11 (Maroon, Cammalleri), 13:20. 6, Philadelphia, Simmonds 9 (Filppula, Provorov), 19:21. Penalties-Laughton, PHI, (holding), 16:17.
Shots on Goal-Philadelphia 13-13-7-33. Edmonton 7-9-10-26.
Power-play opportunities-Philadelphia 1 of 4; Edmonton 0 of 2.
Goalies-Philadelphia, Elliott 8-6-6 (25 shots-23 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 1-5-1 (32-29).
A-18,347 (18,641). T-2:29.
Referees-Trevor Hanson, Dave Jackson. Linesmen-Brian Mach, Kiel Murchison.

Flyers top Flames to snap 10-game skid

CALGARY, Alberta -- Scott Laughton picked a good time to record the second two-goal game of his NHL career.

Valtteri Filppula and Michael Raffl had a goal and an assist each as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Monday at the Scotiabank Saddledome to snap their 10-game losing streak (0-5-5).

"To get a big win like that collectively as a group, I thought everyone battled really hard," said Laughton, who also scored twice in Philadelphia's 8-2 win at home over the Washington Capitals on Oct. 16. "It's a huge win for our group, I think. It started to slip a little bit. We get to 10 games and you start getting in your own head. It's just a really good feeling for this group right now."

Wayne Simmonds also scored, while Jakub Voracek had three assists for Philadelphia (9-11-7).

Goalie Brian Elliott, who played for the Flames last season before signing with the Flyers in the offseason, made 43 saves to improve his record to 7-6-6.

"That's a big streak to end, and in doing it the way we did tonight with punctuation was really good for our group," said Elliott. "We've got to take that and harness that and take it to the next game (on Wednesday in Edmonton). We've got to enjoy this, though. We've waited a little too long for it."

Troy Brouwer and Sean Monahan scored for the Flames, who wrapped up their four-game homestand with a 1-3-0 record.

"We've got to be able to shrug things off when they happen and move forward," Brouwer said. "It seems like sometimes we get a little bit down on ourselves and maybe that's where us as leaders can do a little bit better job of making sure that guys stay up and stay excited and not get down on ourselves."

Mike Smith finished with 16 saves for Calgary (14-12-1).

When asked what the most frustrating part of the loss was, Flames left winger Matthew Tkachuk responded: "Probably leaving Smitty out to dry. That's probably the worst."

Tkachuk was visibly upset after the game and gave short answers to the questions he was asked before abruptly leaving the dressing room.

"That was a tough one," he said. "We need to be better."

Brouwer opened the scoring at 18:15 of the opening frame with his first goal of the season and first since March 27 to snap out of a 32-game drought. After swatting the rebound of a Curtis Lazar shot through Elliott's legs, Brower raised his arms and looked skyward.

"You want to win against every one of your past teams and I don't know if it was Brouw's first goal, but he can have that one and I can have the 'W'," Elliott said. "That's good for me."

It didn't take long for the Flyers to tie things up as Filppula swatted the puck past Smith just 61 seconds later. Defenseman Andrew MacDonald took the initial point shot that hit Voracek in front of the net and bounced right to Filppula for an easy goal.

The Flyers then scored three goals in 71 seconds in the second period to take a 4-1 lead.

Laughton tipped a point shot by Shayne Gostisbehere that hit the post and then bounced off Smith and into the net at 7:31. Raffl one-timed a pass from Voracek past the Flames' netminder 25 seconds later.

Then with Michael Frolik in the penalty box for high-sticking, Simmonds tapped a rebound past Smith at 8:42. The Flames had reason to be upset with the power-play goal after replays showed that it was MacDonald, not Frolik, who high-sticked teammate Sean Couturier in the face.

The Flames outshot the Flyers 21-7 in the second and were finally rewarded when Monahan snapped a shot to the short side past Elliott with 1:15 left in the period.

Laughton restored Philadelphia's three-goal advantage when he scored his third goal of the season at 1:51 of the third.

NOTES: Flyers D Radko Gudas sat out the eighth game of his 10-game suspension for slashing Winnipeg Jets C Mathieu Perreault on Nov. 16. He has sat out both of Philadelphia's games against Calgary this season and is eligible to return to the lineup on Dec. 12 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... Philadelphia also scratched D Mark Alt and C Jori Lehtera. ... After being a healthy scratch for the past two games, C Curtis Lazar drew back into Calgary's lineup in place of C Matt Stajan, who had suited up for four straight contests. ... Flames C Freddie Hamilton was scratched for the third straight time, while D Matt Bartkowski sat out his fourth straight game. Bartkowski has only played one of the past 12 games for the Flames. ... Calgary captain D Mark Giordano played in his 700th NHL game.

Booed off the ice: Sharks send Flyers to 9th straight loss

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The boos picked up steam in the second period. The “Fire Hakstol” chants became louder in the third.

When the Philadelphia Flyers’ ugly 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks was over Tuesday night, players held a closed-door meeting, general manager Ron Hextall was insisting they’re still a playoff team and coach Dave Hakstol was shaking off calls for his job.

Mired in a nine-game losing streak — its longest skid in nearly in 10 years — things are getting ugly in Philadelphia.

“Nobody said this was going to be easy,” Hakstol said. “If you don’t want to be in this spot, it’s a choice. That’s how I react to it. There are high expectations in this market.”

Joe Thornton scored the go-ahead goal late in the first period, Chris Tierney and Marc-Edouard Vlasic also scored and Logan Couture had two assists for the Sharks, who kicked off a four-game trip with their second straight win.

“The toughest game is always the first one,” Thornton said. “Three-hour time change, you get here late, dinner late, everything is kind of off. So this first game is huge for us.”

Claude Giroux scored 48 seconds in before the Flyers were blanked the rest of the way by backup Aaron Dell, who made 22 saves.

“They can chant whatever they want. We’re in this together,” Giroux said of his coach. “We’re all in the same boat here. It’s not on him, it’s on everybody.”

Thanks to blown leads and overtime and shootout defeats, Flyers are 0-4-5 since their last win, Nov. 9 against Chicago. It’s the longest streak since an 0-8-2 stretch in February 2008.

After a players-only meeting postgame, Hextall addressed reporters.

“If we were playing poorly, I’d be the first to say, ‘We’re playing poorly.’ I would be,” he said. “We’re not playing poorly. To look objectively at our team right now and to say we’re playing poorly, no. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot at times? Yes, we are. Critical mistakes at critical times, yes.”

San Jose was without top goaltender Martin Jones, who sustained an unspecified injury near the end of his shutout of Winnipeg on Saturday. Jones traveled and is expected to play on the trip.

After Giroux’s 11th goal, Dell looked sharp. Tierney tied it from the right circle at 10:29, and then Thornton’s 5-on-3 goal with 1:18 left in the first period put the Sharks ahead 2-1.

Vlasic scored with 3:56 left in the second period as the Sharks improved to 6-2-1 on the road.

“Our style is good for the road, but I think our style is good for wherever we are playing,” Vlasic said.

It marked the seventh time in nine games the Flyers have blown a lead during their skid. And undisciplined play continues to be a problem.

Philadelphia took three penalties in 3 minutes late in the first period. Then while trailing 2-1, the Flyers went on the power play early in the second period, only to have it negated 9 seconds later when Jakub Voracek tripped Tomas Hertl.

On the second day of a back-to-back, backup Michal Neuvirth made 31 saves for the Flyers, who showed little energy in the third period. They had just one shot on goal until Hakstol pulled Neuvirth for an extra attacker with about 3 minutes left.

“I don’t have answers for you,” Giroux said.

The Sharks earned a split in the season series after losing on opening night to the Flyers 5-3 behind Wayne Simmonds’ hat trick. Simmonds has scored just four goals in 24 games since.

“We get booed every once in a while,” said Simmons, who took two penalties. “But when we’re getting booed the whole game, it’s pretty embarrassing.”

NOTES: Sharks F Joonas Donskoi left in the second period with an injury. . Sharks C Melker Karlsson (upper body) returned after a four-game absence and played on the fourth line. . Flyers D Radko Gudas served the sixth game of his 10-game suspension for slashing.

UP NEXT

The Sharks play at Florida on Friday.

The Flyers host Boston on Saturday before a three-game trip to western Canada next week.

Crosby's OT winner lifts Penguins past Flyers; Murray hurt

By WILL GRAVES
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Their young franchise goaltender was in the trainer’s room dealing with a lower-body injury and their struggling cross-state rivals were up two goals. That’s when the Pittsburgh Penguins’ erratic start briefly came into sharp focus during the second intermission on Monday night.

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions responded with perhaps their best 22 minutes of hockey since raising the Cup in June.

Patric Hornqvist and Bryan Rust scored 39 seconds apart early in the third to tie it, Jake Guentzel’s second of the night evened it again with 64 seconds left in regulation and Sidney Crosby’s deflection 1:48 into overtime lifted the Penguins to an improbable 5-4 victory over reeling Philadelphia.

“In a lot of ways it was a microcosm of our season,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

Meaning an inconsistent mix of dazzling offense, inexplicable breakdowns on the other end with an injury thrown in for good measure. Matt Murray exited with 4:21 left in the second period after Philadelphia’s Jakub Voracek crashed into him during a breakaway. The 23-year-old two-time Cup winner managed to skate off under his own power before limping down the runway clearly favoring his right leg.

Murray will be re-evaluated on Tuesday. Rookie Tristan Jarry picked up the second win of his career by stopping 8 of 10 shots, spending most of his 25:24 of ice time watching his teammates pound away at Philadelphia’s Brian Elliott.

The Penguins finished with 52 shots in all, the last coming when Crosby deftly redirected Kris Letang’s shot from the point over Elliott and into the net for the 11th overtime winner of his career, tied with Mario Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for most in franchise history.

“I had a thought that (Letang) might come to me,” Crosby said. “But ultimately it’s up to the guy with the puck to see what’s there. He made a great read and I was happy to see that go in.”

Guentzel and Crosby both finished with three points, and the Penguins have won two straight following a three-game losing streak. Just as important as the victory may have been the way Pittsburgh went about it. After letting the Flyers score three times in the second to go up 3-1, Pittsburgh dominated.

“We came out hard in the third,” Crosby said. “I think we were all pretty disappointed with our second, allowing them to get back in the game and carry the play the whole period. Came out hard, got a big goal early to get us going and then just kind of fed off of that.”

Sean Couturier collected his team-high 14th goal for the Flyers. Shayne Gostisbehere and Travis Konecny each scored their third of the season, but Philadelphia let a two-goal lead going into the third period evaporate for the second time in four days. Michael Raffl’s pretty deke around Jarry put the Flyers up 4-3 with 3:41 left in regulation but it wasn’t enough. Elliot made 47 saves but could do little to stop Crosby’s 10th goal of the season and fourth in his last four games.

Philadelphia is winless in its last eight games (0-4-4), the team’s longest slide since an 0-8-2 stretch in February, 2008.

“We’ve got to finish one of these,” Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said. “There’s really not much more to be said other than that. We’ve got to finish one of these. We’re in position night after night and we were in position again tonight.”

The Penguins are in the midst of a stretch in which they play seven of eight at home, a time they hope they can use to make up ground in the Metropolitan Division. Jarry could get a heavier workload than expected if Murray is out an extended period.

“It’s always tough to see a guy go down, but you have to stay focused,” Letang said. “(Regardless of) whoever is in the net, you have to play the right way and play your game.”

NOTES: Penguins C Evgeni Malkin missed his fourth straight game with an upper body injury. ... Pittsburgh D Ian Cole was a healthy scratch for a third consecutive game. ... Crosby has four goals and five assists in his last four games. ... Guentzel has eight goals in his last 11 games. ... The Flyers scratched D Radko Gudas and Fs Taylor Leier and Jordan Weal. ... The Penguins went 1 for 5 on the power play. The Flyers were 1 for 4.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host San Jose on Tuesday night. Philadelphia beat the Sharks 5-3 in the season opener on Oct. 4.

Penguins: Start a home-and-home series with the Sabres on Friday night in Buffalo. Pittsburgh won the first meeting between the two teams 5-4 in a shootout on Nov. 14.

Boeser scores twice, Canucks beat skidding Flyers 5-2

By CHUCK GORMLEY
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Last summer, following the Vancouver Canucks’ development camp, coach Travis Green sat down with rookie right wing Brock Boeser and, in no uncertain terms, told him it was time for him to prove he could be an impact player in the NHL.

“Travis gave me a serious talk and told me what I needed to do to make the team and make a difference,” Boeser said Tuesday night after scoring two goals to lead the Canucks to a 5-2 win over the slumping Philadelphia Flyers. “I knew it all depended on how hard I worked and so far, it’s been going pretty well.”

Boeser leads the team in goals (nine) and points (19). He’s one point behind NHL rookie scoring leader Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes.

“We talked about his game,” Green said after the Canucks improved to 10-8-3. “We talked about expectations and where he was at. I’m happy with his game. It’s not just his goal scoring that I like. It’s his detail away from the puck, being able to win puck battles, his conditioning. All that. It’s part of being a pro.”

Meanwhile, teammate Daniel Sedin inched closer to a major NHL milestone, picking up a goal and an assist to leave him four points shy of 1,000 for his career. Sven Baertschi scored a power-play goal, Henrik Sedin had two assists and Loui Eriksson added an empty-net goal and an assist for the Canucks.

Jacob Markstrom made 35 saves to earn his sixth win of the season as Vancouver won for only the second time in six games.

Ivan Provorov and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers, who lost their fifth straight and fell below .500 (8-9-4) for the first time this season.

“We have to find a way to break these habits,” said Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds, who has gone 13 games without a goal after scoring six in his first eight games. “We have to find a way to get a win here, no matter what it takes.”

Michal Neuvirth took the loss, allowing four goals on 22 shots. He was replaced by Brian Elliott with 5:20 remaining in the second period.

“Fairly or unfairly, somewhere we need a save from our goaltender,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “That one is on me. I should have done that after the third goal. Once it gets to 4-1 it’s hard to dig out of that hole.”

The Canucks entered ranked 27th in the NHL in goals and 24th on the power play. They scored five goals for just the third time this season and went 2 for 4 on the power play.

The Flyers opened the scoring when Provorov’s shot from the left point redirected off the shoulder of Canucks defenseman Alex Biega and past Markstrom. The goal was Provorov’s second in two games after going nine games without one.

Daniel Sedin tied the score less than two minutes later when he beat Neuvirth off the back of his pad on a breakaway for his fourth goal of the season.

Boeser gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead midway through the period with his eighth goal when he converted a feed from Derrick Pouliot, then made it 3-1 less than two minutes into the middle period with his second power-play goal of the season.

Baertschi made it 4-1 with the Canucks’ second power-play goal of the night, sending Neuvirth to the bench in favor of Elliott. The Flyers closed to 4-2 with 10:04 remaining in the final period when Voracek scored his sixth of the season, but Markstrom was solid the rest of the way and Eriksson scored an empty-netter to seal it.

NOTES: The Canucks announced before the game that RW Derek Dorsett has returned to Vancouver to be evaluated by the team’s medical staff for stiffness in his back and neck. The 30-year-old Dorsett missed 78 games last season after undergoing a cervical fusion procedure. ... Flyers D Radko Gudas served the second game of his 10-game suspension for slashing Vancouver C Mathieu Perreault in the back of the neck.

UP NEXT

Canucks: Continue their six-game road trip Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

Flyers: Visit the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, the first of consecutive games between the teams.

Little scores winner in shootout, Jets rally past Flyers 3-2

Associated Press

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck wasn’t about to let an early two-goal deficit rattle him.

The Winnipeg Jets’ goalie buckled down until his teammates fought back, and Bryan Little scored the deciding goal in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

“I’ve played enough hockey and I know if (the opponents) get a couple of early ones, it’s time to go into shutdown mode,” Hellebuyck said. “Just hold everything and calm the game down and sooner or later we’ll get our legs under us, just like we did.”

Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine also scored in the shootout to help the Jets win the tiebreaker 3-2 in four rounds. Jakub Voracek and Jordan Weal were successful for Philadelphia.

Hellebuyck stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime and is 10-1-2 on the season. Winnipeg’s third straight victory boosted the team’s record to 11-4-3.

Voracek and Sean Couturier had first-period goals for the Flyers (8-8-3), who were coming off back-to-back shutout losses to Minnesota. The pair also had an assist each, and Brian Elliott made 31 saves.

Scheifele tied it 2-all with 49 seconds left in the third when he scored with Hellebuyck pulled for an extra attacker.

“It’s tough,” Elliott said. “The goal we give up, it’s one faceoff in the offensive zone and it turns into a 2-on-1 and those are the things that bite you in the butt.”

Blake Wheeler made a pass out front to Scheifele, who netted his team-leading 11th goal of the season. Laine also picked up an assist to extend his point streak to seven games (five goals, three assists).

“A real positive thing is that on the nights you don’t have it, your goaltender plays great,” Wheeler said.

“You’ve got guys stepping up and putting their face in front of pucks and it gives us just enough time to tie it up to get the one point and then the boys had some dangle in the shootout. Great job to gut it out.”

Mathieu Perreault returned to the ice after missing 12 games with a lower-body injury and scored for Winnipeg at 13:05 of the second period.

It came after he took an unexpected shot in first.

As players went into the corner behind Elliott, Perreault fell to his knees along the goal line after getting tangled up with Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas, who lost his balance and slashed Perreault just below the neck. Gudas received a slashing major and game misconduct, while Perreault was assessed a high-sticking minor.

“He got the meaty part of the neck,” Perreault said. “It could have been worse, I guess.

“He apologized in the penalty box, but when you look at the replay, it looks like he did it on purpose. It wasn’t an accident. He’s been known for doing stuff like that, so I certainly don’t appreciate it. I’m sure the league will take care of it.”

Perreault recovered and scored off a slick pass from Joel Armia, who threaded the puck through Philadelphia defenseman Brandon Manning’s legs as he and Perreault rushed the net.

NOTES: Flyers rookie center Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 pick in this year’s NHL draft, got to play in his hometown after sitting out the past nine games with a concussion. He had 7:58 of ice time but only 26 seconds on the power play. “He was sharp. He was strong on the puck,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “For not being in the lineup and coming into a pretty heavy game tonight, I thought he played a good hockey game.” ... Philadelphia wing Dale Weise also is from Winnipeg. ... The Flyers finished 1 for 5 with the man advantage and the Jets were 1 for 7.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

Jets: Host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.