Flyers 5, Penguins 3
Pittsburgh native R.J. Umberger scored the go-ahead goal at 6:50 of the third period and set up Matt Read's tally two minutes later as visiting Philadelphia upended its Keystone State rival.
Sean Couturier recorded an empty-net goal and two assists, defenseman Mark Streit also tallied and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare netted his first career goal for the Flyers, who have emerged victorious in two of their last three after going winless in their first four games (0-2-2). Captain Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek each notched a pair of assists and Ray Emery finished with 22 saves.
Marcel Goc scored after a give-and-go with former Nashville teammate Nick Spaling to trim Philadelphia's lead to 4-3 with 2:57 remaining in the third period. Spaling and Pascal Dupuis also tallied, but Couturier's empty-netter with 27 seconds left ended the threat as the Penguins fell to 3-11-1 in their last 15 at home versus the Flyers - including playoffs.
Dupuis redirected a shot from the point by defenseman Paul Martin to forge a 2-2 tie exactly nine minutes into the second period. The contest remained knotted until Umberger settled Giroux's centering pass and banked a shot off the right arm of Marc-Andre Fleury (28 saves) and into the net before Read backhanded the puck under the crossbar soon after.
After failing to score despite sustained pressure on a power play, Pittsburgh drew first blood as Spaling wired a shot from the left faceoff circle inside the near post at 3:50 of the first period. Philadelphia scored on back-to-back shots to claim the advantage, as Streit's attempt deflected off Evgeni Malkin's stick and past Fleury at 9:20 and Bellemare extended his stick to deflect Couturier's centering feed into the net four minutes later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Canadian national anthem was played prior to the game to honor Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who died Wednesday in Ottawa after being shot at point-blank range while standing guard at the nation's war memorial. The NHL postponed the scheduled game pitting provincial rivals Toronto and Ottawa following the attack. ... Streit finished last season with a six-game point streak (one goal, nine assists) and has recorded at least one point in five of his six contests (two goals, five assists). ... Pittsburgh went 0-for-2 on the power play after going 8-for-17 in its previous four games.