PHILADELPHIA _ The Flyers received scoring from unexpected sources Saturday afternoon as they defeated Columbus, 4-2, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Fourth-line center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored his first goal in 36 games, and defenseman Michael Del Zotto netted his second tally in 35 games as the Flyers roughed up Sergei Bobrovsky, the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie.
Defenseman Ivan Provorov (first goal in 10 games) and right winger Jake Voracek (20th goal) also scored for the Flyers, who will finish their season Sunday night against visiting Carolina.
Steve Mason made 20 saves against his former team and was the winner in what may have been his final game with the Flyers. Mason, a prospective free agent, allowed two second-period goals on shots that both deflected off his teammates.
Mason notched his 104th win with the Flyers, which is third in franchise history, behind only Ron Hextall (240) and Bernie Parent (232). It was also the 200th win of his career. He is 26-21-8 this season.
The Flyers have not negotiated with Mason's agent during the season, seemingly a sign that he won't return.
The game was meaningless to both teams. The Flyers (39-33-9) were eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday, and Columbus (49-24-8) has already clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh will face the Blue Jackets in the opening round, and the Penguins have secured home-ice advantage.
"We have a lot of pride in ourselves, playing for one another and playing for the fans," Del Zotto said. "The fans here are passionate in this hockey market and we're not going out without an effort."
Bobrovsky (20 saves) entered the game with an 8-1 record, a 1.65 goals-against average, and a .945 save percentage against the Flyers, his former team.
