DALLAS (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux called it an “ugly win.”
To Dallas coach Lindy Ruff, it was “garbage hockey.”
Giroux scored a power-play goal at 2:49 of overtime to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-5 comeback victory over Ruff’s Dallas Stars on Saturday night.
“To come back from 4-2 and to score another goal to come back, it’s an ugly win,” Giroux said. “But you know what, we’ll take it.”
His game-winning goal from the left faceoff circle beat Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen, who made 31 saves but gave up a 4-2 lead.
“I was just trying to hit his pads and get to (teammate Wayne Simmonds), but it was able to go through,” Giroux said.
Ruff was dismayed that his team lost the lead and the game.
“We played stupid hockey,” he said. “If you play like that, you deserve to lose. Garbage hockey.”
Sean Couturier, Brayden Schenn, Andrew MacDonald, Jakub Voracek and Michael Raffl scored in regulation for the Flyers. Giroux’s game-winner came 40 seconds after Dallas’ Trevor Daley was penalized for hooking, and it was the Flyers’ second power-play goal in the game.
After the Stars killed a penalty for the first 1:56 of overtime, Daley reached out to hook Schenn when the puck came loose with Lehtonen out of the net.
“We killed that one off, and then a puck in the glass,” Ruff said. “We lost focus and had to take another one.”
Daley scored two power-play goals, Jason Spezza had a goal and three assists, Erik Cole and Jamie Benn also scored and Tyler Seguin had four assists for the Stars. Lehtonen dropped to 0-11-2 in his career against the Flyers.
The Stars led 4-2 heading to the third period, before MacDonald and Voracek scored to tie it with 5:46 left in regulation. Spezza regained Dallas’ lead 40 seconds later, but Raffl tied it again with 3:53 remaining.
Steve Mason started in goal for the Flyers and allowed four goals on 18 shots through two periods before being replaced by Ray Emery to start the third. Emery finished with four saves on the five shots he faced.
In addition to his goal, Voracek had assists on the game-tying and winning goals.
Philadelphia coach Craig Berube wasn’t totally pleased.
“We did a lot of good things out there. Had a real good attack, shot the puck well, lot of opportunities. But we got to clean up some of the mistakes we make. They’re unacceptable.”
The game was tied four times, and the lead changed hands three times.
The Stars had been only 2 for 12 on the power play before scoring on their first two attempts against the Flyers. Daley has three of their four power-play goals.
NOTES: Stars LW Curtis McKenzie made his NHL debut. … Flyers C Chris VandeVelde, recalled from Lehigh Valley of the AHL, made his first appearance with Philadelphia this season. … Dallas D Patrik Nemeth left the game in the first period because of a right arm laceration, and didn’t return. That left the Stars with just five defensemen. Ruff said Nemeth would miss “a good period of time.”… In three games against Philadelphia for the Stars, Seguin has three goals and seven assists. … Spezza has 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) in his last 12 games against the Flyers. . Brayden Schenn has a point in each of his last three games vs. Dallas (one goal, two assists).
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