The Flyers gave up the first goal to the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4:51 of the first period. Toronto entered the game 14-0-0 when scoring the first goal.
When the Leafs added a power-play goal just 49 seconds later, it felt like things were over before they started in Toronto.
But the Flyers rallied back from the 2-0 deficit and responded to a third goal in the period from Toronto, the first of five unanswered goals for the Flyers in a strong come-from-behind win to open an eight-game road trip.
"I think it was our best road game of the year, maybe our best game all year," Jake Voracek said. "After the first 10 minutes, we didn't panic. We stuck with it and it's why we got two points."
"They played aggressive," head coach Craig Berube said. "We needed to be more aggressive and we were tonight. We attacked. We shot the puck."
The Flyers got contributions across all parts of the roster. R.J. Umberger's third goal of the year, the Flyers first of the game, really sparked the comeback.
"When you're down like that and you're able to get a quick goal, you relax a little bit," Claude Giroux said. "We're down 2-0 and we kept playing our game."
The Flyers did get the advantage of using two of the NHL's leaders in points. Voracek assisted on four goals. Giroux had two goals and two assists. But it was the other contributions that impressed Berube.
"They stayed with it and battled through it," Berube said. "The team really stuck together tonight."
The danger of this game was facing a difficult offense that leads the league in scoring. Toronto did manage to score four goals, some of which Berube thought Ray Emery would like back. But, as Berube noted, the Flyers got the win behind their trusty backup again.
"He battled through it," Berube said. "That's what he does. He stays with it and he wins games."
Umberger and Giroux were joined by Scott Laughton, Nick Grossmann, Michael Raffl and Sean Couturier in the scoring column. The Flyers seven-goal output is their highest of the season. It seemed to be the perfect way to open the homestand.
"It's great to get a lot of goals in one game," Giroux said. "We were playing the right way the whole game. We played 60 minutes. It's good to get two points here to start the road trip."
The Flyers return on Sunday to face the Winnipeg Jets, one of the top defensive teams in the league. With points being needed at all costs, the Flyers understand that this is only the beginning.
"Our record's not very good on the road, but you look at the last five games, we could have easily won all five," Giroux said. "We need to stay focused on how we play. Hopefully, a win tonight is a start of a good road trip."
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
