Danny Briere scores the game-winning goal in overtime.
The Flyers suffered in third periods all season long. That was no different against the Hurricanes on Saturday.
Clinging to a one-goal lead, the Hurricanes managed to tie the score halfway through the third. But the Flyers killed off a crucial penalty with eight minutes left in the third and kept the score tied to force overtime.
That's where Danny Briere grabbed the spotlight, scoring the game-winner at 1:47 of the overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes.
It didn't take long for scoring in this one, as Jiri Tlusty scored on a rebound just 17 seconds into the game.
The Flyers would answer at 13:52 of the first. Kimmo Timonen threw a shot toward the net and Brayden Schenn deflected it past Cam Ward to knot the score at one.
The Flyers wasted no time in the second. Matt Read jumped on a loose puck less than two minutes in and fired it past the glove hand of Ward to give the Flyers their first lead of the game.
After Jeff Skinner tied the game at 11:17, the Flyers answered just 15 seconds later on a brilliant rush that featured a perfect pass from Brayden Schenn to Jakub Voracek, putting the Flyers in front, 3-2. Even goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was credited with an assist on the play.
That score would hold into the third, but a strange deflection off of Kurtis Foster allowed the Canes to tie the game. Joe Corvo was credited with the goal.
Despite being out-played in the third again – the Hurricanes out-shot the Flyers, 13-7, in the third – the Flyers stayed in the game with some solid play from Bryzgalov. He made several key saves on the penalty kill and another late in regulation that led to a last-second scoring chance for Read.
The Flyers couldn't bury a shot past Ward at the close of regulation but they did find the net in overtime. Briere raced in on a rush with Brayden Schenn. With no pass available, Briere cut to the front of the net, fired a wrist shot that ricocheted off the post, hit Ward and went in, ending the game and giving the Flyers the win.
There was a lot of solid play from some of the Flyers youth and young-at-heart. The line of Matt Read, Mike Knuble and Sean Couturier had some great energy and when the Flyers shuffled lines late in the third, it eventually set up the combination of Brayden Schenn and Danny Briere, which produced the game-winning goal.
Defense wasn't perfect in this game but after a slow start, the pairs of Timonen and Luke Schenn and Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann really settled in and were used heavily late in the game.
Additionally, the Flyers grabbed some much-needed points on this homestand. After entering the homestand with just four points and two wins, the Flyers more than doubled their win total and added seven of a possible eight points to their total.
Perhaps this team is starting to click. It isn't a perfect 60 minutes with this team, but they did win three of four games and that's what matters. Now they hit the road for the next six games looking to keep the momentum going.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Flyerdelphia. You can follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
