National Hockey League
Philadelphia 3, Florida 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Tom Kowal, Evgeny Romasko
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Steve Barton
Attendance: 18999

PHILADELPHIA -- Two weeks ago, Steve Mason and the Philadelphia Flyers couldn't string together two wins in a row, no matter how hard they tried.

On Tuesday night, thanks to a two-goal performance by Wayne Simmonds and an overtime goal by Jakub Voracek, the Flyers outlasted the Florida Panthers 3-2 for their season-high sixth straight win. Mason has five of those victories.

"I'd like to think of it as six straight for the team," Mason said after stopping 42 of 44 shots to improve to 10-8-3. "We're finding different ways to win hockey games. When you have your best stuff and when you don't. When bounces are going your way and when they're not. It's a matter of playing a full 60 or 65 minutes and going right to the final buzzer to get those two points."

Top-line center Aleksander Barkov and second-line left winger Jussi Jokinen scored for the Panthers, who concluded their six-game road trip with a 1-2-3 record and fell to 1-1-3 since general manager Tom Rowe took over for Gerard Gallant as head coach.

Six of the Panthers' last nine games have gone beyond regulation. They are 3-3 in those games and arguably deserved more than one point Tuesday night after outshooting the Flyers 44-25.

"It was amazing how we came at them," Rowe said, referring to his team's 17-4 shot advantage in the third period. "We got a point and a lot of good stuff happened.

"I told the guys after the game that as frustrating as it is and as mad as some of you may be, there are too many positives here to get down."

Voracek's game-winner came with 8.6 seconds remaining in overtime and extended the Flyers' win streak to their longest since 2011 under former coach Craig Berube.

"Sometimes it's important for us, if we don't play a great hockey game to win the game and get the points," Voracek said. "That's how you make it into the playoffs. They had so many scoring chances and Mase was outstanding for us."

For a team finishing up a six-game road trip with games on consecutive nights, the Panthers dominated possession throughout the third period, tying the score with 4:48 remaining in regulation.

Jokinen finished off a Florida flurry when he cruised through the low slot and snapped a pass from defenseman Michael Matheson over Mason's left shoulder for his second goal of the season.

Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Reilly Smith had the best chances to score in overtime, but Mason smothered Ekblad's one-timer and rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov blocked Smith's shot.

That led to the Flyers holding possession for the last shot and, after making three consecutive saves, Panthers goaltender James Reimer (22 saves) was left all alone to face Voracek.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux stripped Matheson of the puck and Voracek beat Reimer for his ninth goal of the season.

"I was tired," Voracek said. "It was a long hockey game. I lost the puck and (Giroux) got it back. I spun around and I knew if I shot it quick (Reimer) wouldn't be able to get down."

With his two goals, Simmonds is now tied for third in the NHL with 15 goals, one behind Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine and two behind Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby.

Locked in a 1-1 tie after the teams exchanged first-period goals, the Flyers took a 2-1 lead on Simmonds' second goal 10:08 into the second period.

With Jokinen serving a cross-checking penalty, Simmonds planted himself in the crease and redirected Giroux's chest-high shot past Reimer for his fourth goal in two games.

The power-play goal was the Flyers' league-leading 24th of the season and halted the Panthers' streak of 18 straight successful penalty kills over five games. Giroux (14) and Simmonds (13) lead the NHL in power-play points.

The Panthers got on the board first when Barkov finished off a nice give-and-go with defenseman Mark Pysyk for his fifth goal of the season and second in as many nights with 4:20 remaining in the opening period.

The Flyers tied it less than three minutes later when Simmonds crossed the blue line and snapped a seemingly harmless shot that eluded Reimer's catching glove for his 14th of the season.

"It felt like a one-month trip," Jokinen said of the Panthers' six-game road trip. "I think overall it will be nice to go home and spend tomorrow with the family, and get our thoughts away from hockey. That will probably be good for all of us. They were some tough games"

NOTES: Panthers D Keith Yandle skated in warmups, one night after coach Tom Rowe said he would be out "a while" with a foot injury. Yandle kept his iron man streak alive at 578 consecutive games, the 10th longest in NHL history. "He played unbelievable," Rowe said. "(Monday) night I thought he'd be out for a couple of weeks, but that shows you how tough he is mentally and physically. Our trainers deserve a lot of credit for getting him ready. It's great for the young kids to see that. It was a game where he could've mailed it in easily and nobody would've said a word, but that's the kind of teammate he is."... Florida C Jonathan Marchessault sat out his second straight game with a lower body injury. ... Flyers RW Matt Read, who suffered an upper-body injury Sunday in Nashville, missed his first game with the ailment and is expected to be sidelined four weeks. He was replaced with LW Taylor Leier, who played on a line with C Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and RW Dale Weise. Flyers D Radko Gudas sat out his third straight game with the flu. ... The Panthers return home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, followed by a home game on Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks. They then hit the road for three more games next week, giving them nine road contests in a stretch of 11 games. ... The Flyers continue their three-game homestand with contests against the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday and Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Top Game Performances
 
Florida   Philadelphia
Aleksander Barkov 1 Points Wayne Simmonds 2
Aleksander Barkov 1 Goals Wayne Simmonds 2
Michael Matheson 1 Assists Claude Giroux 2
N/A Power Play Goals Wayne Simmonds 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
James Reimer .880 Save Percentage Steve Mason .955
James Reimer 22 Saves Steve Mason 42
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Florida 44 2 0-2 3-4 10 30
Philadelphia 25 3 1-4 2-2 6 37
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Edmonton. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Florida will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Panthers have a W/L % of .308 after a win and .571 after a loss.