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Flyers win eighth straight on Schenn's hat trick

Brayden Schenn more than did his part to keep the Flyers' hot streak alive. He literally fought, was a faceoff wizard, and, more important, scored the second hat trick of his career, all on the power play, as the Flyers defeated the Dallas Stars, 4-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

Brayden Schenn more than did his part to keep the Flyers' hot streak alive. He literally fought, was a faceoff wizard, and, more important, scored the second hat trick of his career, all on the power play, as the Flyers defeated the Dallas Stars, 4-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

"I'm just a recipient of some great plays by the other guys in the group, obviously Jakey," said Schenn, referring to Jake Voracek, who had a goal and three assists for the second straight game.

Schenn broke a 2-all tie by punching in a rebound of a Voracek shot with 2 minutes, 15 seconds left, extending the Flyers' win streak to eight games, their longest since 2002.

"It was a lucky play where it breaks your stick and it's just kind of the right place, right time," said Schenn, who has seven goals on the season, six on the power play.

Voracek finished matters with an empty-net goal, giving him 32 points, second-most in the NHL.

Schenn, who was 7 for 8 on faceoffs, had scored just one goal in his previous 13 games.

The Flyers had to overcome two one-goal deficits to get the win.

Schenn tied the score at 2 with a tip-in of a Voracek shot with 3:48 left.

The Stars took a 2-1 lead when Devin Shore scored on a second-effort play. After getting his first shot blocked on an outstanding diving stick save by Steve Mason, Shore got the rebound and poked the puck just inside the near post with 9:28 left.

Shore, who entered the game with two goals, got Dallas on the board first when the fourth-line center scored on a backhand in front of the goal with 12:30 left in the first period.

The Flyers had the Stars just where they wanted them. That made five times in the last six games the Flyers had given up the first goal.

Schenn scored the equalizer with 2:42 left in the first period. Voracek took a pass from Shayne Gostisbehere and sent a wrist shot on goal that Schenn redirected in as Wayne Simmonds provided a great screen.

"It was a pass over to 'Ghost,' then a shot in the air to Jake, and I was able to get a tip on it and changed the speed of the puck going into the net," said Schenn, who tied a team record with the three power play goals, shared by four others.

Gostisbehere missed some second-period shifts with a hand injury, but he returned in the third period.

"Obviously it hurt a little bit, but it was good by then," said Gostisbehere, who said he had precautionary X-rays.

Near the midway part of the second period, Schenn fought Stephen Johns after the Dallas defenseman's hit on Travis Konecny. Schenn held his own, despite giving up three inches and 35 pounds against the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Johns.

"He had a great fight, stepping in for one of his teammates," coach Dave Hakstol said. "Those are the type of things that you really build that team chemistry with."

The Flyers' fourth line of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Roman Lyubimov, and Chris VandeVelde continued its strong defensive play, holding Dallas' high-scoring line of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and Jason Spezza to zero points.

Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen, now 1-11-3 in his career against the Flyers, made an outstanding save on an Ivan Provorov blast with 16:04 left in the third period, but the Flyers kept charging, the same way they have been for more than two weeks now.

Notes. The Flyers had a moment of silence before the game for former coach Bill Dineen, who died Friday night. Dineen coached the Flyers for two seasons and compiled a 60-60-20 record. "I knew Billy for a long time," said Bob Clarke, the Flyers' Hall of Fame center and current senior vice president. "He was a player and coach at the minor-league level and the NHL level, but I think more importantly he was a really, really good hockey person and really good person." ... The Flyers, who will play at Detroit on Sunday, last won nine consecutive games April 2-22, 1995... This was the 13th game in the last 14 that Mason started in goal.

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard