It wasn't the way the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to get it done but the team extended its winning streak to six games with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night. Massively outplayed in the first and third periods, the Flyers did not deserve to get any points from the game.

The equalizers: goaltender Steve Mason and leading scorer Wayne Simmonds.

"The biggest things were the saves we got. No doubt about that. Especially throughout the game. Mase, it was one of those nights where he was our best player. The group of guys around him found a way. Whether it is a positive or negative, everything as a team. One way or another we found a way to get two points. Tonight on a night when were weren’t on our best," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.

Addressing Simmonds' continued excellence, Hakstol added that there are no surprises in his game.

"He’s been primarily pretty much a 30-goal scorer. He’s doing the exact same thing, doing exactly what he has always done. The thing with Simmer is that he doesn’t change his game," Hakstol said.

"He’s a guy that does the things that he does and he is very consistent, he does it every night. He doesn’t waver. I think you are seeing a very confident player right now, a very competitive player and a very focused player. He’s been very important for our group here especially in the first third of the season and that is going to continue.”

Facing waves of attack from Florida, NHL Player of the Week Mason turned aside 42 of 44 shots to earn the victory in goal. He fought for secondary saves and made 10-bell saves when the team was in dire straights in their own end.

"This was a game where you have to come up with big saves. We spent a lot of time on our own end. I think it was good to come out with the two points and I think we all just have to do better," Mason said.

"They had their chances, we were able to come through when we had too. Simmer comes up with key goals again. But, at the end of the day we have to be better. The first period, we weren’t good enough. The second was a little better and the third we have to be better overall.”

Simmonds scored a puck-luck long distance goal at 4-on-4 and then added a power play deflection goal to bring his season goal total to 15 and his point production to 26 points in 28 games. He has four goals in the last two matches.

In OT, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek combined to turn a Florida turnover into a game-winning goal by Voracek at the 4:51 mark of the extra frame.

“I was tired," Voracek admitted, "it was a long hockey game, you know, [one day off after a] three-in-four and after a tough win in Nashville. Yeah you know I just could have out powered that guy you I usually out power one on one that guy but I lost the puck and G made that turnover you know it happened and I just spin around and I knew if I shoot it quick that he wouldn’t be able to get down so I risk it and it went in.”

James Reimer got the start in goal for Florida, turning back 23 of 25 Philadelphia shots. Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen scored in a losing cause for Florida.

Both teams have played a lot of hockey recently. The Flyers were playing for the fifth time in eight nights. Florida was at the tail end of a six-game road trip, playing for the third time in four nights and the second half of a back-to-back. However, the Panthers were the team that had almost all the jump in the first and third periods, with early control of the second period as well. The Flyers eventually turned things around in the second period but the third period was brutal.

Said defenseman Andrew MacDonald, "You’re obviously not going to have that every night as a team. Tonight was certainly one of those nights for us. I thought our 2nd was better than the 1st and 3rd. We just gave up too many opportunities, and they seemed to be all over us the whole game. But like you said, if we’re just able to bend. We don’t always want to rely on Mase the whole game, but when those games happen he came up strong and we were able to score some timely goals.”

Flyers rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov continued his march toward NHL stardom. On this night, the 19-year-old blueline did a masterful defensive job against the legendary Jaromir Jagr. Provorov showed not an even an iota of intimidation and, in fact, had the 44-year-old future Hall of Famer frustrated for much of the game. Provorov also authored a huge block in overtime on a 2-on-1 Florida rush.

"Unbelievable," Simmonds marveled with a grin. "A 19-year-old kid going against Jaromir Jagr. I think he did a pretty good job. I think he has done a great job all year long and he is only going to get better. If you watch him play he is getting better and better, not every game but every shift.”

Keith Yandle, originally said to be out indefinitely after suffering an injury in Monday's game in Boston, ended up suiting up for the Panthers. Leading scorer Jonathan Marchessault remained out of the Florida lineup, however. For Philadelphia, Radko Gudas (illness) took part in the morning skate and could have played but was held out an additional game with the team riding a winning streak. In Gudas' absence, the much-maligned Andrew MacDonald continued a run of generally strong individual play during Philly's winning streak.

Playing his first NHL game of the 2016-17 season, Taylor Leier skated just nine shifts and 5:23 of ice time. In the morning Hakstol said that he had confidence in Leier's speed and two-way game, and planned to get him right into the penalty killing rotation.

Dale Weise was credited with a half dozen hits. In addition to assisting on two goals, Giroux won 68 percent (19-for-28) of his faceoffs. Michael Del Zotto and MacDonald each blocked four shots.

The Flyers went 1-for-4 on the power play in this game, and were 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. After a rough first period in the faceoff circle, Philly ended up winning 55 percent of the draws (37 for 67 on the night).

In terms of both time of puck possession and shot attempt differentials, the Panthers clobbered the Flyers. Florida attempted a whopping 85 shots -- 44 on net, 20 blocked by the Flyers and 21 that missed the net -- to 51 for the Flyers 925 on net, 16 blocked, 10 that missed the net. The Flyers goaltending, fortunately, was stellar.

In the game's first two minutes, the Panthers generated the game's first three shots and the Flyers took an icing. Mason lost his mask on the third shot and play was blown dead. After the Panthers held a 4-0 shot lead, the Flyers generated a long-range Jakub Voracek offering for their first shot around the four-minute mark.

Brandon Manning took the game's first penalty, tripping Colton Sceviour in the defensive zone at 4:30. In the first 19 seconds of the Florida power play, Mason stopped a Jason Demers point shot and a rebound followup attempt by Jussi Jokinen. He made another stop on Yandle and held for a stoppage with 37 seconds left to kill.

Smith, struggling to score goals this season, had a half open net on the dangerous diagonal rebound of a Barkov shot from near the right post but the puck went wide of the net to keep the game scoreless. Shots were 8-1 Florida at that point. The Flyers went on their first power play at 9:40 after Mark Pysyk was called for tripping behind the Florida net.

Voracek, guilty of a bad turnover in defensive end moments after breaking his stick on a one-timer in the offensive end, slammed his new stick in frustration as the first unit's power play shift ended. The second unit had one good look at the net but could not score.

The Panthers scored on their 14th shot of the first period as the Flyers were guilty of being flat-footed and watching the puck moved around the offensive zone. Taking a pass in the left slot, Barkov snapped his fifth goal of the season under a moving Mason's glove at 15:40. Pysyk and Smith got the assists.

With 3:14 left in the period and after-the-whistle scrum broke out after Jussi Jokinen ran into Mason and jarred a covered puck loose at the whistle. Shayne Gostisbehere and Colton Sceviour received roughing minors.

The Flyers tied the game at 1-1 at the 17:07 mark. Simmonds pulled up over the blueline, used the D as a partial screen and fired a knuckling shot that beat Reimer to the glove side for his 14th goal of the season; a softie but the Flyers gladly took it. Andrew MacDonald and Ivan Provorov earned the assists.

“I think the puck hit the top of their defenseman’s stick. It was a lucky goal," Simmonds said.

Shots in the first period were 15-6 in Florida's favor. Additionally, Florida won 13 of 21 faceoffs.

Mason made a top-of-the-stick save to erase an early second period turnover. Florida had five of the second period's first seven shots.

At 4:57, Reimer flashed the leather to snare a rapidly rising re-direct by Michael Raffl on feed from Voracek. The Flyers got their second power play at 5:40 after Jagr was sent off for hooking Provorov. A desperately diving Reimer got a piece of a Voracek chance from below the right circle and plenty of open net. Nick Cousins was guilty of hooking in the defensive zone, canceling the rest of the power play at 6:51.

The Flyers killed off the abbreviated Florida power play. At 9:29 they went back to the power play for the third time after a Jokinen cross-check behind the Philly net was whistled by referee Evgeny Romasko. Game shot totals were 21-10 in Florida's favor at this point.

After a tough keep at the left point by Gostisbehere and good work along the walls by Schenn, the Flyers triggered a puck movement sequence that ended with Simmonds tipping home a Giroux shot for a power play goal; second tally of the game, 15th goal of the season. Giroux and Gostisbehere got the helpers at 10:08 as Philly took a 2-1 lead.

A frustrated Jagr went back to the penalty box at 10:36 for hooking. The Flyers went on their fourth power play, with a chance to build a 3-1 lead. Instead, the Florida PK rose to the challenge and held Philly without a high-end scoring opportunity.

Defending Jagr one-on-one on the walls, Provorov rode the living legend off the play. The Flyers were guilty of an icing at the 16-minute mark of the second period. Florida controlled the puck and Mason was forced to make multiple saves in a scramble around the net.

With 3:13 left in the middle frame, Giroux cleanly won a left circle draw directly to Voracek. Reimer swallowed up Voracek's quick snap shot for another draw. Shots in the period had turned around to 12-9 in Philly's favor by this point. Some good cycling work by the Giroux line and a left point shot by Michael Del Zotto produced the Flyers' 13th shot of the stanza.

Shots in the second period were 13-10 Flyers; 25-19 Florida through 40 minutes.

Raffl had a good scoring chance in front off a Giroux pass-out blocked in the opening minute of the third period. Mason held his ground and denied a side-angle backhander by a pinching Michael Matheson at the other end. He then stuffed a Sceviour wraparound try for his 29 save.

Florida applied heavy forechecking pressure over the next few shifts, pinning the Flyers in deep. Mason snared a heavy shot by Nick Bjugstad with 14:37 left. Mason then sprawled to make a spectacular 10-bell save on Jokinen from the doorstep. Third period shots were 6-4 Panthers at at a TV timeout at the 6:31 mark.

Florida pushed the forecheck again heavily and caused a lengthy battle on the walls after an Andrew MacDonald turnover. The Flyers held their ground, especially Provorov. Florida was then guilty of a pair of icings. With 6:40 left, the Panthers flurried again arounnd the Flyers net but no shots made it to Mason.

Florida went offside for the third time in the period with 5:16 left. A TV timeout followed. Third period shots were 14-4 in the Panthers' favor at this point.

Shot number 40 tied the game. Jokinen battled his way to the right slot as Matheson outworked Manning down low and scored his second of the season. Sceviour got the secondary assist at 15:40.

Simmonds, on another hard-working shift, had the Flyers best scoring chance of the period but got blocked from the mid slot. A TV timeout followed at 17:18. The Flyers iced the puck under no pressure with 2:31 remaining. Giroux won the draw cleanly.

Third period shots were 17-4 in Florida's favor (42-23 Florida through regulation). The game went to overtime.

The duo of Bellemare and Simmonds created a left offensive zone faceoff chance for the Giroux, Voracek and Gostisbehere trio. Giroux won the draw but a turnover scuttled the puck possession. The Flyers blocked a puck out of play in their own end. The Bellemare-Simmonds-Provorov trio returned. After another block out of play on a Smmonds shot, Brayden Schenn came out with Travis Konecny and Michael Del Zotto. Konecny lost his man to yield a 2-on-1 but Del Zotto broke it up.

Mason made the first save of OT. He ranged out to stop an Ekblad point blast. After Florida broke in 2-on-1, they were not quite able to finish with Mason over in save position and Provorov blocking the shot. Finally, after Reimer authored a save on a Gostisbehere blast, the Flyers won the game.

Giroux forced a turnover and Voracek swept home the game-winning 25-foot shot from the right slot with 8.6 seconds left on the board. Giroux assisted on Voracek's ninth goal of the year.

Overtime shots were 2-2 (44-25 Florida overall). The Flyers will practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ on Wednesday and prepare for Thursday's home game at the Wells Fargo Center against the Edmonton Oilers.

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