PHILADELPHIA - By day Wednesday, the Flyers gave indication that they were edging toward calling it a season. By night, the would continue to try to salvage this one.
With three goals in the final 5:06 of regulation, the Flyers earned a 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Wells Fargo Center, good for their first three-game winning streak of the season ... and for continued hope that the season may last beyond their final 12 scheduled games.
That was only hours after they'd put themselves in position for a major offseason personnel shift by trading for another capable goaltender and the possibility of new salary maneuverability.
The Flyers entered the game in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, yet finished what was felt to be a season-defining five-game homestand at an encouraging 3-1-1.
Wayne Simmonds was rewarded for his activity in front of Carey Price at 14:54 of the third, when he redirected a Bruno Gervais attempt into the net to forge a 3-3 tie. And 2:30 later, Erik Gustafsson threw a 90-degree pass toward Matt Read, and the puck bounced off Habs defender Francis Bouillon and into the net for the difference maker, sending a sellout crowd into an uproar.
Jake Voracek's empty net goal with 39 seconds left added the flourish.
With their first three-game winning streak of the shortened season, the Flyers (16-17-3, 35 points) head to Toronto having pulled to within four points of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. No, a playoff reward will not come without vast determination and a whole lot of luck. But there has been no April give-up fools revealed, either.
Sean Couturier and Simon Gagne each scored odd goals to help build a 2-1 lead, but Montreal answered with two goals within 20 second-period seconds.
The first period ended with 20 seconds of tension between Brayden Schenn and P.K. Subban. After a collision in the Montreal zone, the two skated back around toward the Flyers' bench where, at the horn, Schenn elbowed Subban, who crashed into the boards and tumbled. The crowd was delighted, the authorities were not, and Schenn was smeared with a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
By then, the Canadiens had built a 1-0 lead, when with Brendan Gallagher screening and Luke Schenn providing minimal help, Alexei Emelin would send a 20-yard wrist shot past Bryzgalov at 13:13.
But Couturier answered at 4:47 of the second with a flip that hit Price, then ricocheted off the leg of a stunned Subban and into the net. The goal was Couturier's third of the season and first since Jan. 27, a span of 27 games.
The Flyers made it 2-1 on another fluke goal at 15:43 of the second. That's when Luke Schenn shot way wide of the net, only to have the puck ping-pong off the back boards and directly to an unattended Gagne, who redirected it past a shocked Price.
"It was good work by our line," said Gagne, of his third goal of the season. "There was good cycling of the puck and keeping the puck on the wall. I got a lucky rebound from the board right on to my tape. I think Carey Price was looking at the other side, so I had a pretty much open net. It was a lucky bounce, but I'll take it."
The Flyers took the goal, the lead and what should have been momentum. But just 46 seconds later, Brandon Prust hustled into the zone, accepted a pinpoint pass from Jeff Halpern and scored to even the score. And 20 seconds after that, David Desharnais took a shot from the deep right-wing circle that deflected off of Brayden Schenn's stick and so startled Bryzgalov that he lifted his arms above his head as if unable to see the puck ... which promptly sailed into the net for a 3-2 Montreal lead.
If not necessarily for any of those such reasons, but just because of the way the money and the opportunities are shuffled about the NHL, it was the Flyers' activity earlier in the day that indicated a more lasting goaltending shift. That's when Paul Holmgren moved Michel Leighton and a third-round 2015 draft choice to Columbus for goalie Steve Mason, a former rookie of the year. The quick analysis was that it at least gives the Flyers a cushion should they choose to buy Bryzgalov out for the cap relief, an option that came with the new bargaining agreement.
But with Bryzgalov making his 20th consecutive start Wednesday - and an ordinary one at that - Mason could be an appealing net alternative for a club with continuing postseason hopes.
"He's a young goaltender who has had some success in the league," Peter Laviolette said before the game. "I'm sure he is looking to get here and get going with us for a fresh start for him. So we're excited. He's a big goaltender that has had a lot of success in the league."
With those 12 games left in the regular season, the Flyers will play their next five on the road, beginning Thursday night in Toronto.