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Sean Couturier scores 16th goal, Flyers top Red Wings

Sean Couturier scores 16th goal, Flyers top Red Wings
Posted at 11:11 PM, Dec 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-20 23:11:33-05

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sean Couturier scored off his own rebound to snap a tie early in the third period and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Wednesday night for their seventh victory in eight games.

Robert Hagg added his first NHL goal, Dale Weise and Wayne Simmonds also scored as Philadelphia overcame two one-goal deficits. Claude Giroux had three assists, and Brian Elliott made 25 saves. The Flyers finished a five-game homestead 4-1.

Martin Frk and Mike Green had power-play goals, Gustav Nyquist also scored and Jimmy Howard made 27 saves for the Red Wings. They were trying to win three straight for the first time this season.

Couturier, in his seventh season, set a career high for goals in a season with his team-best 16th when he beat Howard with a second-chance shot at 5:57.

It appeared the Red Wings were going a man-up when Jakub Voracek was called for elbowing with 2:06 left. But it was evened up when Andreas Athanasiou was given an embellishment penalty on the play and Detroit lost in Philadelphia for the 13th time in 14 tries.

The Flyers tied it at 2 on the power play in a wild second period when Simmonds finished perfect tick-tack-toe passing from Voracek and Giroux at 10:48 for his 11th goal.

Nyquist’s 10th goal 41 seconds later put Detroit ahead 3-2, but Hagg answered at 13:40 on a slap shot through traffic. Simmonds raced into the net to retrieve the puck for Hagg, who was playing in his 35th NHL game.

With backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth still sidelined with an undisclosed injury, Elliott made his ninth straight start and 18th in 19 games. He stopped Nyquist on a breakaway 2 minutes in as the Red Wings started energized despite playing at the Islanders a night earlier.

The Flyers struck first at 15:19 of the first period when Weise collected a rebound and scored on a wraparound after rookie Nolan Patrick won a faceoff against Darren Helm. Patrick’s assist was his first point in 10 games.

Frk’s second goal in as many nights tied it with with 1.3 seconds left in the first as he took a feed from Dylan Larkin on the power play.

Detroit went ahead 2-1 5:50 into the second period on Green’s point shot as Jordan Weal served a double-minor for high-sticking.

NOTES: Voracek earned his NHL-high 34th assist. . Patrick, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, has two goals and seven points in 25 games. He’s without a goal in 14 straight games. ... Red Wings fourth-line C Luke Glendening (upper body) didn’t play after the first period. ... Red Wings LW David Booth played and RW Luke Witkowski was scratched. ... Neuvirth took part in the morning skate and is nearing a return. ... Flyers F Jori Lehtera replaced Taylor Leier (upper body) on the fourth line.

UP NEXT

Red Wings: At Boston on Saturday.

Flyers: At Buffalo on Friday night.