Foerster scores late, Flyers recover to defeat Bruins

PHILADELPHIA -- Tyson Foerster scored with 1:29 remaining in the third period for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

Foerster's shot from the left face-off circle off the rush beat Linus Ullmark over his glove to break a 2-2 tie.

"As he continues to get better, we're only going to see more of that," Flyers forward Travis Konecny said. "It's his first year ... some of the things that he's able to do, he's going to be a really good player for a long time because of how he plays away from the puck. He does a lot of good things, and he gets rewarded for it."

Konecny scored two goals, including his 30th of the season, for Philadelphia (36-26-9), which ended a seven-game losing streak against Boston. Foerster also had an assist, and Samuel Ersson made 18 saves.

The Flyers moved four points ahead of the Washington Capitals for third place in the Metropolitan Division, having played two more games.

Justin Brazeau and Danton Heinen scored for Boston (41-16-15), which has lost two straight games in regulation for the first time since Dec. 22-23. Ullmark made 26 saves.

The Bruins lead the Florida Panthers by two points for first in the Atlantic Division. Florida lost 4-3 at the New York Rangers in the shootout Saturday.

"I think just the belief in this group, I don't think at any point in the game did we think we were going to lose it," Brazeau said. "I was pretty confident we would win throughout the game."

Konecny put the Flyers ahead 1-0 at 18:15 of the second period with a power-play goal. Ryan Poehling held a loose puck in at the right point and passed down the wall to Scott Laughton. He centered to Foerster, who flubbed the shot, but the puck rolled to Konecny, who scored from the post on the left side.

Brazeau tied it 1-1 at 10:19 of the third period when he skated through the crease and scored on a backhand. It was his fourth goal in three games.

"[Charlie] Coyle made a great play to get me the puck," Brazeau said. "I looked up and thought my best chance was going to the back post and I got lucky, and it went in."

Konecny put the Flyers in front 2-1 at 15:16 with a shot from the left face-off circle through a screen. The goal gave him 30 for a second straight season (31 in 2022-23).

"I try not to think about that," Konecny said. "It's awesome. I'm happy. But it's just so important for us to stay focused on the end of the season and what the end goal is for us. I think truly right now no one cares about their personal stuff. You just have to get in [to the Stanley Cup Playoffs]."

That level of maturity is new for Konecny, who in his eighth season, has been named an alternate captain for the first time and is relied upon in all situations.

"He's been fighting it a little bit," Flyers coach John Tortorella said. "I think he's been playing really well. But those guys need to score goals, they need to see the puck go in the net. He's had some chances that he's missed, and I think that kind of doubles up on him because he cares. It's a really important time for him, for me anyway, for him to lead the proper way. … When you get down to crunch time here, it's a really important time for him to understand that his actions can't hurt the team as far as being a distraction. I think he's done a pretty good job of that."

Heinen tied it 2-2 at 16:12 with a one-timer from the left side off a seam pass by Morgan Geekie.

"The effort was there from both sides," Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke said. "That was a playoff-type game."

NOTES: Flyers captain Sean Couturier returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games. The center had one shot on goal and won four of eight face-offs in 13:09 of ice time. ... Konecny is the first Philadelphia player with consecutive 30-goal seasons since Couturier in 2017-18 and 2018-19. ... Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett each assisted on Konecny's second goal to extend a point streak. Frost has eight points (three goals, five assists) during an NHL career-high six-game streak, and Tippett has nine points (three goals, six assists) during a six-game streak. ... Bruins forward David Pastrnak had an eight-game point streak against the Flyers end (11 goals, seven assists).