(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
It took 65 minutes and then some, but the Flyers managed to escape with a win against the Florida Panthers in a shootout to keep their playoff push alive.
While the result wasn't perfect, stringing together wins is the only way for the Flyers to have even the slightest chance of making the playoffs. Two in a row is a start.
Here are 10 Postgame Points from Flyers-Panthers.
- How about the new guy? Valtteri Filppula was having a strong game already in the first two periods, but he made an immediate impact with the game-tying goal with 9:22 remaining in the third. As I mentioned on Thursday morning, Filppula instantly slots into fifth on the Flyers in points this season, and that's during a down season for the forward. He was around the net in Thursday's game and it proved to be big.
- Back in the net for his second straight start, Steve Mason was excellent again. Mason made 39 saves in 65 minutes and two more in the shootout to secure the win.
- Mason's most impressive save was his last of regulation. With Alexander Barkov in a great position to let off a quality chance, Mason came up with the great glove save to rob Barkov of a game-winning goal.
- There was so much to like about the Flyers use of Jordan Weal first in the shootout. And Weal proved the Flyers right, letting off a quick snap shot to score on James Reimer. Shootout goal aside, Weal has an energy that is hard to replicate or replace. He is seemingly everywhere on the ice.
- Shayne Gostisbehere had quite an offensive game on Thursday. There was nothing on the scoreboard in terms of goals and assists, but seven shots on goal and being active in the play is a sign that his confidence is returning. His skating looks as good as it's been all season too, which is key to him being an offensive force.
- At one point, the Flyers turned a strong first period and had the first 10 shots of the second to hold a 23-11 advantage. By the end of the second period, the Panthers had a 28-26 advantage in shots and a 1-0 lead.
- The lone goal for the Panthers was a shorthanded tally by Aaron Ekblad that was a horrendous 10 seconds for Claude Giroux. First, there was the egregious turnover by Giroux, who swatted the puck in an effort to make a pass and put it right onto Ekblad's stick. Then Ekblad put a move on Giroux to get space to take the shot from the high slot that beat Mason.
- The Flyers were 0-for-4 on the power play, including allowing the shorthanded goal and wasting a 5-on-3 opportunity. Not a good night for the Flyers special teams.
- It felt like a passive overtime by the Flyers in terms of possession, but they still outshot the Panthers, 5-4, in the five-minute 3-on-3.
- The Flyers have six shootout wins this season. Only one team in the Eastern Conference has more shootout wins, the Detroit Red Wings with seven.
Bottom Line
The good: the Flyers got a crucial two points in the standings. The bad: they needed extra time to do it, and therefore gave Florida a point as well.
If there was one game the Flyers needed to have in regulation, it was this one. And they had plenty of chances — 44 shots in regulation — to do it.
Still, the Flyers were locked in a scoreless tie for so much of this game and trailed for over 20 minutes as well. To fight back, get a hard-earned goal against a tight-checking Panthers team and force overtime is a decent trade off, especially since the Flyers were able to get the extra point.
Now, we watch the scoreboard again. With the Flyers win, the margin behind the final wildcard spot drops to two, but it could return to four pending the outcome of Toronto's game in L.A. Still, two wins are a start, especially with a four-game road trip looming against some very good and challenging teams.
