The numbers looked bleak as the third period began. The St. Louis Blues had lost just three times when leading after two periods. The Flyers had just two wins when trailing after 40 minutes.
With their playoff hopes on life support, points are crucial in every game. The Flyers made the third period count, scoring three goals to down the Blues, 3-1, on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Blues would open the scoring at 12:52 of the first. A cross-ice pass from Mark Streit was intercepted by Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko made a nice move and passed over to Jaden Schwartz, who fired a wrist shot past Steve Mason for the game's first goal.
The Flyers had several chances in both the first and second periods to even the score. Before St. Louis scored in the first, Wayne Simmonds fired wide on a 2-on-1 and R.J. Umberger hit the post from the doorstep with a wide-open net.
In the second, the Flyers generated a few more rushes, including a 2-on-1 between Brayden Schenn and Ryan White, but Brian Elliott stood tall in goal. After two, the Flyers still trailed by one. St. Louis entered the game with a 25-1-2 record when leading after two periods.
In the third, the Flyers continued to press but were stymied through the first 10 minutes of the third.
Finally, at 9:47, just shy of the halfway mark of the third, Michael Del Zotto tied the game with his ninth goal of the season, a blast from the point.
Two minutes later, Matt Read stole the puck in the neutral zone and waited for his teammates to enter the zone. Read fed Streit who patiently worked his way to the slot and threw a shot on net that was tipped in by Simmonds. It was Simmonds 26th goal of the season.
The Flyers continued to battle in the closing minutes as time ran short on the Blues. With just over a minute to play, Michael Raffl iced the game with an empty-net goal.
The Flyers scored three goals in the final 11 minutes of the game to hand the Blues just their second regulation loss when leading after two periods.
Read and Luke Schenn each had two assists in the win. Del Zotto was a plus-three for the night. Mason played another strong game, making 28 saves in the win.
The Flyers next take the ice on Saturday afternoon for a crucial game against the Boston Bruins on the road. The opening face-off is set for 1 p.m.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
