Flyers 4, Coyotes 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Center Claude Giroux and defenseman Mark Streit enjoyed milestone games?on Saturday and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 at Wells Fargo Center.
Giroux scored a goal for his 500th career NHL point, while Streit ripped off three assists in the first period to reach 400 lifetime points as the Flyers (28-22-11) won consecutive games for the first time since Jan. 27-Feb. 4, when they won three straight.
Giroux and Streit's milestone performances helped the Flyers begin a six-game homestand with a second straight win. Philadelphia entered Saturday three points out of the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.
Arizona (27-29-6) lost its fifth in a row and has lost the first four games of a five-game road trip. The Coyotes began Saturday eight points out of a playoff spot.
Michal Neuvirth made 29 saves and picked up his 15th win for the Flyers.
Louis Dominque made his 10th straight appearance for the Coyotes and also made 29 saves.
Philadelphia capitalized on a team allowing 3.07 goal per game by getting three in a span of about nine minutes, including two 40 seconds apart.
Center Scott Laughton got Philadelphia started on a leak out, receiving a perfect dump pass from center Nick Cousins that eluded two Coyotes. Laughton made a pair of moves before shooting five-hole on Domingue for a 1-0 lead at 9:30.
Four minutes later, Arizona right winger Brad Richardson netted an equalizer with a snap shot from one knee after taking a cross-ice feed left winger Max Domi.
Shortly after, the Flyers regained their advantage and doubled it with rapid-fire markers from Giroux and center Sam Gagner at 17:41 and 18:21, respectively.
Giroux lit the lamp with a power-play blast just outside the circle, while Gagner scored off a rush after the puck took an advantageous bounce between the referee and the side boards. For Gagner, a former Coyote, it was his third goal in the last four games.
Streit facilitated the first period, recording his three assists for his second three-helper game of the season, while giving himself career points No. 398, 399 and 400.
Arizona cut into the deficit 6:33 into the third period with a goal from defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Left winger Mikkel Boedker held onto the puck unimpeded in Philadelphia's zone and found Larsson, who went top shelf.
The Flyers sealed it at 17:15 on a three-on-one rush as right winger Pierre-Edouard Bellemare tapped home a rebound.
NOTES: Flyers RW Jakub Voracek was out with an upper-body injury, ending his iron-man streak at 286 games, which was Philadelphia's leading active mark. Voracek, who missed practice Friday as a "maintenance day" and will be reevaluated Monday, leads the Flyers with 38 assists. ... Coyotes RW Shane Doan took over 24th place in all-time NHL games played by appearing in his 1,447th contest. He trails former RW Teemu Selanne (1,451) by four games for 23rd on the list. ... Flyers C Claude Giroux returned to the lineup after missing three straight games with an upper-body injury. The captain entered the game leading Philadelphia in points. ... Coyotes D Nicklas Grossmann played his first game in Philadelphia since being traded from the Flyers to Arizona during the offseason. Grossmann played parts of four seasons with the Flyers, appearing in 198 games and compiling 38 points (seven goals, 31 assists). In the deal, Philadelphia acquired C Sam Gagner, who played 81 games for the Coyotes last season, his only ones in Arizona.