{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Philadelphia 3, Boston 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: T.J. Luxmore, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Derek Nansen, Pierre Racicot
Attendance: 19704

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers considered Wednesday's clash with the Boston Bruins a must-win on home ice.

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.

"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.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Philadelphia
Loui Eriksson 1 Points Jakub Voracek 3
Loui Eriksson 1 Goals Jakub Voracek 1
Torey Krug 1 Assists Claude Giroux 3
Loui Eriksson 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Tuukka Rask .857 Save Percentage Steve Mason .938
Tuukka Rask 18 Saves Steve Mason 30
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 32 2 1-2 3-3 11 25
Philadelphia 21 3 0-3 1-2 9 25
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against NY Rangers. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .435 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Buffalo. The Bruins have a W/L % of .524 after a win and .476 after a loss.