Thanks to a pair of three-point efforts from Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek, the Flyers on Wednesday were able to come back and top the Boston Bruins, 3-2.
This wasn't just any win for the Orange and Black. They entered the game four points behind the Bruins (21-16-5) in the standings, and deprived them of the valuable opportunity to gain points and climb into the top wild card spot.
Giroux set Voracek up at 17:28 of the first period, to give the Flyers (19-15-7) a lead that would hold through much of the second period. After Kevan Miller and Loui Eriksson gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead to hold onto in the second intermission, Giroux and Voracek decided that they were not quite done scoring points.
Voracek fed the puck to Wayne Simmonds, who tapped in his own rebound with 9:50 to play in the third period, giving Giroux the secondary helper and his second assist of the game. Just 1:22 later, Giroux found Mark Streit to put the Flyers ahead.
One thing the Orange and Black could not do, however, was consistently drive possession of the puck. Thanks to missing a series of shots early on, they found themselves down 7-0, and did not record a shot on goal until midway through the first period. They could not record more than nine shots in any given period (going 5-9-7), and were ultimately out-shot 32-21.
While the Flyers could not muster shots, Steve Mason still did yeoman's work stopping them. He made 30 saves, despite facing an offense that's third in the league in goals scored per game.
The Flyers also yielded a goal on the penalty kill, for the first time in 11 attempts (dating back to Jan. 2 against Los Angeles). They allowed one goal on two penalty kill opportunities, and were scoreless on three powerplays.
Subsequently, the Flyers now sit two points outside of the second wild-card spot, with 45 points. They would have to leap-frog Ottawa (46 points), Pittsburgh (also at 46), New Jersey (47) and the Bruins (47) to secure that spot.
One of the storylines entering Thursday's game was the possibility for revenge, after Zac Rinaldo concussed Sean Couturier in their previous meeting on Oct. 21. The game had the makings of a physical contest early on, as Brayden Schenn dropped the gloves with Millar after Schenn laid a devastating hit on Torey Krug. Ultimately, the game would remain civil after that exchange of blows.
With the win, the Orange and Black stretch their winning streak to four games, and extend their home winning streak to six. They also earned their first win against the Bruins on Wells Fargo Center ice for the first time since April 23, 2013.
The Flyers' three-game homestand concludes on Saturday afternoon against the New York Rangers.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
