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Timonen's three points lead Flyers past Senators

PHILADELPHIA -- When a defenseman is scoring points the way Kimmo Timonen did Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers are a dangerous team.

Timonen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and had two assists to lift the Flyers to a 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Centers Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier and right wingers Wayne Simmonds and Adam Hall also scored goals for the Flyers (8-10-2).

"Kimmo played unbelievable," Simmonds said. "He's our rock. He's been our best defenseman for years."

Left winger Clarke MacArthur and center Kyle Turris scored power-play goals for Ottawa (8-9-4).

The Flyers, who beat the Senators 5-0 in Ottawa last Tuesday, improved to 4-0-1 in their last five games. They have 18 goals in those five games after scoring only 22 in the first 15.

"Scoring was an issue," Timonen said. "When you're only getting two goals a game, it's hard to win much in this league. The team looks good now. A lot of good things are going for us and we have to keep it going."

Goaltender Steve Mason made 32 saves, including one on Turris' penalty shot in the third period.

Timonen slid a backhander past goaltender Robin Lehner for his first goal of the season. That followed a long video review which upheld a no-goal by Turris that would have given the Senators a 3-2 lead.

"I wasn't really all that worried, but when the review was taking a little long, you never know," Mason said.

Simmonds scored 23 seconds after Timonen on a slap shot to make it 4-2. Hall got an empty-net goal in the final minute.

"We didn't respond very well," Senators coach Paul MacLean said of the team's performance after the review.

Turris nearly gave the Senators a 3-2 lead on a shot into an open net, but defenseman Nicklas Grossmann stopped it. The puck hit Grossmann's left skate and then bounced off his right skate.

"It was more luck than reflex," Grossmann said.

The Senators tied it at 2 early in the third period when Turris scored on a backhander after a shot bounced off the back wall.

MacArthur got the Senators within 2-1 on a power-play goal 2:55 after the Flyers went up 2-0 in the second. He lifted a slap shot over defenseman Luke Schenn and past Mason into the top right corner.

Lehner blamed himself for the loss.

"I don't really know what to say. I thought we played a good game. It's too bad that I couldn't be there for the guys," Lehner said. "I had a bad one today. You have to move on. Can't do anything now. I have to go practice harder and come back in the next game I get to play."

Giroux gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a power-play goal. Right winger Jakub Voracek made a cross-ice pass to Giroux, who blasted a shot from the left face-off circle that beat goalie Lehner to the short side.

The goal came minutes after the Flyers killed off two straight delay-of-game penalties, including one by Giroux.

The Flyers went up 2-0 on Couturier's first goal in 26 games. His bad-angle shot from the left side clanked in off the post.

NOTES: Senators LW Bobby Ryan, who grew up in nearby Cherry Hill, N.J., played just his third career game in Philadelphia. ... The Senators started a tough week with two sets of back-to-back games. They host Minnesota on Wednesday. ... Backup G Robin Lehner got the start over G Craig Anderson, who has allowed 11 goals in three games since returning from a neck injury. ... Ottawa fell behind 2-0 for the 11th time in 21 games this season. ... The Flyers had their 117th consecutive sellout at the Wells Fargo Center. ... Philadelphia C Claude Giroux scored goals in two of the last five games after not having any in the first 15. ... Flyers RW Jakub Voracek has points in five straight games after going five consecutive games without any.