The Flyers engineered their league-leading eighth third-period comeback Monday night in a 4-3 win over the Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center.
Noah Cates continued his eye-opening run with the game-winner, his second goal of the night.
"You can't help but pull for the guy," John Tortorella said. "He doesn't say much, doesn't talk and he just continues to work at his game. There has been a little pressure put on him by a number of people, even the outside, as far as, 'Is he going to be able to score some goals?' I think he just said, 'I'm going to take a chance.' We want him to take a chance offensively."
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Garnet Hathaway and Morgan Frost also found the back of the net. The fourth line drew the Flyers within 2-1 in the second period, while Cates and Frost each had game-tying, third-period markers on the power play.
The team's man advantage went 2 for 5, giving it four over the last two games.
The Flyers (19-20-5) finished 2-2-0 on their homestand. They were able to build off their 6-0 rout Saturday night of the Ducks, a win that appeased a rowdy crowd with Cutter Gauthier in the building.
Tortorella knew the defending champs would be a different test.
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"This is a team that we're going to have to be ready because they're balanced, they're stiff," the head coach said at morning skate. "They're the Stanley Cup champions for a reason. I'm hoping we come back-to-back with a good effort. I'm not sure what the result is; you just never know what happens with results. I just want us to grow off our last game."
Tortorella's club won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 10-12. Florida suffered its first loss when leading after two periods. It entered 16-0-0 in that situation.
"This time of year, after a good win we had the other night, playing against one of the top teams in the league and to come back against them," Tortorella said, "it gives you a little bit of juice as we push forward here."
The Flyers went 1-1-1 against the Panthers (25-16-3) in their three-game regular-season series. Last season, the Flyers took two of three from Florida.
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• Two days after pitching a shutout, Samuel Ersson struggled early against the Panthers.
But he was strong late to nail it down for the Flyers.
"During the third period, he makes a couple of big saves," Tortorella said. "Then at the end ... he makes two or three great saves. Enough's enough with goaltending. Enough's enough. They need to be better and I hope Ers is trying to make a statement there."
The Flyers were in a 2-0 hole before the halfway mark of the first period. Florida's second goal was super leaky for Ersson. It came on a shot from Uvis Balinskis, who entered with two career NHL goals. And no other Panthers were in the offensive zone, while two Flyers were back in coverage.
Florida struck first when the Flyers' power play gave one up to Sam Reinhart. You could live with that one, but the Flyers needed a save on that second goal.
Reinhart struck again in the third period to regain the Panthers their lead at 3-2 on the power play. But Frost countered under two and a half minutes later.
Ersson converted 20 saves on 23 shots.
Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 of the Flyers' 29 shots.
• Cates has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in the last 16 games.
"I could stay here probably all night and talk to you guys about Noah," Hathaway said. "Just what he means to this team, to the organization. Day in and day out, at the rink, the way he approaches it. He's maybe an old soul in the sense of he knows how to do it. I'm just really happy for him."
Frost has 12 (seven goals, five assists) in the last 16.
"He has stepped up a lot," Cates said. "You see these top centers that we're playing against, just how good they are, how long they've done it, how consistently they've done it. You want to get to that level."
Both 25-year-olds have started providing scoring down the middle of the ice, something the Flyers have needed.
• The Flyers are right back at it Tuesday when they visit the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
Tortorella's club is 1-6-0 in the second game of back-to-back sets.
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