PHILADELPHIA _ It took less than six minutes for the Flyers to find themselves trailing Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon, staring down yet another loss.
But this time _ unlike in their previous five games, all losses _ the Flyers responded. They played like a team in desperate need of a win as they scored four times in the second period to rally past the Lightning, 4-2, at the Wells Fargo Center. The win, which featured the return of goaltender Michal Neuvirth, was just the Flyers' second in their last eight games.
"It's nice to win a hockey game," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "It's been a while since we have been able to have that feeling. It doesn't matter how well you played in a couple of games along the way. It's important to get the two points and it's important to do it the right way."
Hakstol aimed to shake his team out of its funk by mixing up the lines. Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Jake Voracek skated separately and each of their lines produced a goal. The Flyers dominated possession and outshot Tampa Bay, 44-26. It was the type of performance the Flyers needed to push them into Sunday night's game at Columbus, which had a 16-game winning streak snapped Thursday.
Voracek set up Travis Konecny early in the second period with a crafty pass on a breakaway to tie the game at 1. Voracek lofted a saucer pass over the stick of the defender and Konecny wristed the puck sharply into the top corner.
"We know how to play with each other," Konecny said. "We create good offense and all along we support each other and compliment each other really well. I think it's just a little change that happens in hockey and it worked for us."
Sean Couturier, who centered that line, gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead on a rebound. It was the first time the Flyers held a lead since Dec. 28, a stretch that covered 227 minutes, 49 seconds and included parts of five games. The line of Voracek, Couturier, and Konecny combined for two goals and two assists.
A minute later, Michael Raffl rifled a slapper from the point off an assist from Giroux for a two-goal lead. The goal was set up after Nick Schultz found himself on an unlikely breakaway. He missed the chance but hustled to corral the rebound and pass the puck off to Giroux. Schultz said it was his first breakaway since the early 2000s.
"I don't really work on my breakaway moves," Schultz said. "It's obviously nice to get it back, make a play, and get a goal. It was fun to have one, that's for sure."
Neuvirth allowed two goals on 26 shots. It was his first action since injuring his knee on Nov. 12. Neuvirth was helpless on his first goal and his second came on a rebound after he made a terrific stick save. He made a strong save in the second period after Shayne Gostisbehere turned over the puck in the Flyers zone.
"That's a long layoff," Hakstol said. "Six or seven weeks is a long time to be out of the net, out of game action. I thought he was solid. He just had a good steady performance throughout. I thought he looked settled. He did a good job for us."
Radko Gudas, who played well on the defensive end, capped the second-period scoring by somehow finishing a wraparound after retrieving a rebound that bounced off the boards. Gudas grabbed Brayden Schenn's shot behind the net, skated to the right of the goalie, and lofted a shot that managed to get in. Simmonds, who was standing near the post, took a hack at the puck as it crossed by but missed. The goal _ strange as it was _ belonged to Gudas. And the Flyers would take it.
