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Hartnell leads Flyers over Maple Leafs, 4-3

Flyers center Brayden Schenn continued his sizzling scoring and, in the process, got the best of his big brother on Thursday night at the charged-up Wells Fargo Center.

Claude Giroux scored one of the Flyers' four goals against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)
Claude Giroux scored one of the Flyers' four goals against the Maple Leafs on Thursday. (Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)Read more

Flyers center Brayden Schenn continued his sizzling scoring and, in the process, got the best of his big brother on Thursday night at the charged-up Wells Fargo Center.

Schenn scored his fourth goal in seven games and Scott Hartnell had a "Gordie Howe hat trick" - a goal, an assist, and a fight - as the Flyers outlasted the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, and ended their losing streak at three games.

With a little less than five minutes remaining in the second period, Schenn scored on a rebound to put the Flyers up, 4-2. He did it while his brother, Luke, was on the ice as a Toronto defenseman.

The goal turned out to be the game-winner.

The Schenns' parents were not at the game.

"I don't think they can cheer for just one team," Brayden Schenn said before the game. "I think they just hope for me and Luke to have good games."

The Flyers were clinging to a 4-3 lead when Luke Schenn leveled Claude Giroux while the Flyers were at Toronto's end. The Leafs went to the other end, and Sergei Bobrovsky made a key stop against Tyler Bozak (two goals) on a rebound with 5 minutes, 16 seconds left.

The Leafs got a power play when Max Talbot was charged with boarding with 2:07 remaining, but the Flyers survived.

Giroux and Brayden Schenn had scored 74 seconds apart late in the second period to give the Flyers a 4-2 lead.

Giroux's goal - just his second in the last 17 games, excluding an empty-netter - was scored on a right-circle blast after Hartnell's feed from behind the net.

"Scotty is not known for his passing, but once in a while he'll have a nice pass," Giroux said with a smile.

The pass gave Hartnell his Gordie Howe hat trick - an assist to go with his goal and fight.

"Anytime you can get a 'Gordie' - it doesn't happen too often," Hartnell said.

Schenn scored after pouncing on a Danny Briere rebound, giving him four goals in his last seven games. The goal, scored with 4:53 remaining in the second period, was extra satisfying to Schenn because his brother was on the ice.

Bozak brought Toronto to within 4-3 by scoring his second goal of the night, after a flurry in front with 1:51 to go in the second. Toronto's Phil Kessel appeared to push defenseman Kimmo Timonen atop Bobrovsky's right leg, and the goalie was helpless on the play.

Bobrovsky, who in his previous game allowed six goals in 28:22 against New Jersey, got the start because Ilya Bryzgalov was suffering from the flu.

The Flyers entered the night on a season-high three-game losing streak, including a 1-0 shootout loss Tuesday to the New York Islanders in which they had 45 shots - their second-most in a shutout in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Coach Peter Laviolette wanted his team to generate more traffic in front and be in an attacking mode.

"You want to play with a certain identity," he said before the game, and the Flyers dominated the opening 20 minutes.

The Flyers swarmed the net and outshot the Leafs, 16-5. They took a 1-0 lead on Hartnell's first goal in seven games.

It was the Flyers' first opening-period goal in their last four games.

Hartnell, from the left circle, one-timed a bouncing puck past goalie James Reimer with 5:22 left in the first for his 26th goal.

Seconds afterward, Hartnell and Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf engaged in the game's second fight. The Toronto defenseman may still have been upset by a comment Hartnell made to him after the winger set up a goal in the All-Star Game. As Hartnell, who miked for the game, skated past the opponent's bench in that game, he said, "Suck it up, Phaneuf."

After the morning skate, Briere said the Flyers would be in danger "if we start playing a river-hockey game against the Leafs. We know they have a lot of firepower."