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Flyers use strong third period to top Atlanta

Jan 15, 2011 - 4:10 AM Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Danny Briere notched the game-winner in a three-goal third period as Philadelphia rolled past Atlanta, 5-2, at Philips Arena.

Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter both posted a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who rebounded from Thursday's 7-5 loss in Boston to win for the fifth time in six games.

Jody Shelley and Kimmo Timonen also lit the lamp, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 27-of-29 shots for the win as Philadelphia assumed a three-point margin (61-58) over idle Pittsburgh in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference standings.

"I thought everybody played well. I thought we controlled the game from the start to the finish," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette. "It took until the third period, but after the travel down here, and playing last night in an up-and-down game in Boston, I was really happy to see the way we played the game today."

Andrew Ladd and Rich Peverley tallied for the Thrashers, who suffered their third straight defeat.

Ondrej Pavelec was shelled for four goals on 35 shots as Atlanta failed to make up ground on Washington and Tampa Bay -- both of which lost on Friday -- in the Southeast Division.

The Flyers forged ahead by a 3-2 count with 7:12 left in regulation, as Scott Hartnell's left-wing drive was tipped in front by Ville Leino then deposited into the net by Briere at the right post.

Giroux gave the visitors a 4-2 edge as the clock ticked under three minutes to go when he took a Matt Carle feed, curled into the slot and fired a wrister.

Carter finished off the rally when he hit the empty net with 40 seconds remaining.

"We played hard enough, and we created some chances. It was very disappointing to play that hard, to be in a position to win," said Thrashers head coach Craig Ramsay. "It doesn't feel like a 5-2 game, but it is at the end of the day, because we didn't quite battle hard enough."

A scoreless deadlock was finally broken with 3:23 left in the second period, as an Atlanta centering pass ticked off a referee's skate and a Philly player before settling on Ladd's stick for a successful wrister from between the circles.

Shelley then bravely blocked a Dustin Byfuglien shot at the right point, chased down the puck on the wing and beat Pavelec with a blistering slapper 36 seconds later.

It was 2-1 for Philadelphia just 21 seconds after that tying goal, when Timonen's wrister in the slot sailed by a James van Riemsdyk screen and inside the left post.

However, Peverley banged home a rebound from in close with 3.5 seconds left in the period for a power-play score.

Game Notes

The Flyers had dropped all four games to the Thrashers last season, failing to gain even one point, after winning 14 in a row against Atlanta from December, 2005 to February, 2009...Philadelphia also improved to 15-5-3 away from home...Briere extended his goal streak to five games, tallying six times in that span...Prior to the game, the Thrashers activated forward Evander Kane from injured reserve and assigned forward Tim Stapleton to Chicago of the AHL...Shelley notched his first goal since November 24...Niclas Bergfors posted two assists for Atlanta.