Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's second goal of the season looked like it would continue the Flyers' season-long winning streak, but with a minute to play, Mike Cammalleri and the New Jersey Devils had other plans.
As Bellemare sat for an ill-timed tripping penalty with 2:21 to play, the Devils (13-10-3) pulled Cory Schneider for a 6-on-4 advantage. One loose puck in front of the net later, an open Cammalleri tied the game, sending the Orange and Black to an all-too familiar 3-on-3 situation.
3-on-3 featured its usual bedlam, and at 3:24 of the extra period, Matt Read's fourth goal of the season — and first in 11 games — game the Flyers (11-10-5) their second point. It may not have been the prettiest way to continue a winning streak, but ultimately, it continued a stretch of strong second-line play for the Orange and Black.
Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek also netted two points apiece — the captain registering a goal and assist, while Voracek posted two assists — as the Flyers increased their winning streak to four-consecutive games. All four of their combined points came on the Flyers' explosive power-play unit, which capitalized on two of three opportunities.
Cammalleri's goal was the Devils' lone power-play goal of the night. The Flyers had previously killed their first three penalties, and their streak of killed penalties has been halted at 23. Uncoincidentally, the streak ended when one of their top PK men, Bellemare, sat in the box.
Stefan Matteau opened the scoring with a fluky goal at 6:36 of the first period, for his first of the season. An Andy Greene tripping minor three minutes allowed for Wayne Simmonds to tie it on the Flyers' first power play, and at 7:12 of the second stanza, Giroux made it a 2-1 game on a 5-on-3 man advantage.
North Jersey native Kyle Palmieri tied the game early in the third, and the game remained tied until there was 10:30 to play, when Bellemare lit the lamp.
Schneider made 21 saves on 25 Flyers shots. Michal Neuvirth saw only 18 shots (including five in the first period), and saved 15 of them.
Not only does the win expand the Flyers' winning streak to a season-long four games and bring them to within one point of the Devils in the Metro Division standings, it helps them earn a win in a building that's been difficult to win in. The Flyers have previously won just eight games at Prudential Center since its opening in 2007 (8-12-3), and have not won there since Jan. 7, 2014.
The win also helps the Flyers gain standings ground on the Devils, as they trail them by two points now for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. With 27 points, the Flyers hold a steady spot on sixth place — seven points ahead of Carolina.
Next up for the Flyers is the tail end of a back-to-back, as they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. It will be their first game against John Tortorella since Dec. 30, 2013, when he coached the Vancouver Canucks.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
