NHL Game Summary - Arizona at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Wayne Simmonds scored a first-period power-play goal and added the winner in the shootout as Philadelphia returned from the All-Star break to record a 4-3 victory over Arizona on Tuesday.
R.J. Umberger and Michael Del Zotto also tallied for the Flyers, who have won two in a row and three of four.
"It is always nice to get the extra point, I thought we played well tonight and it was good to get that second point," said Simmonds.
Steve Mason stopped 22-of-23 shots in regulation and all three in the game's final segment to earn the win. Starter Ray Emery allowed two goals on four shots in less than six minutes of action.
Connor Murphy, Martin Erat and Tobias Rieder scored for the Coyotes, losers of seven consecutive games. Mike Smith made 39 stops in the hard-luck defeat.
"We have to learn how to play a one-goal game. It's always nice when you come on the road a get a two goal lead. You have to know and learn how to play with it," Erat admitted.
The biggest threat to solve either netminder during the first five chances was a Claude Giroux to end the second round which beat Smith but clanged off the right post and stopped dead in the crease.
Antoine Vermette missed on a backhander before Simmonds used several stick fakes to pull Smith out of position and calmly forehand the deciding marker.
The visitors jumped on top just over 3 1/2 minutes in when Murphy's harmless shot fell from the crook of Emery's right arm and slithered over the goal line.
Erat made it 2-0 at 5:50 by cleaning up an Oliver Ekman-Larsson rebound in the high slot and Mason -- who hadn't played since a loss to the Bruins on Jan. 10 due to a lower-body injury -- was summoned.
"I didn't think that the team was flat really. I felt we needed a boost to give us some life," said Flyers head coach Wayne Simmonds.
Simmonds tipped in a right-circle shot from Mark Streit on a power play at 9:02 for a 2-1 game, and Umberger followed up after Smith made a spectacular save on his first chance and scored from the left side at 13:55 of the second for a 2-2 tie.
Del Zotto found space under the crossbar on the left side with 61 seconds left and the hosts led by one, but Rieder beat Mason on a clean break up the middle just 24 seconds later to enter intermission in a 3-3 deadlock.
"Sometimes you go in and you know what you are doing and sometimes you go in and see where the open corner is. It's different against right handed goalies so I just tried to put it out over his glove, and it worked out," Rieder explained.
Smith faced 13 shots in the third period and his big save on Matt Read in front in the final 25 seconds helped send the game to an extra session.