The Flyers have little chance of overtaking the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils, but they can try to convince themselves that the gap between the two clubs is not as wide as the standings indicate.

Of course, the way to do that is to beat them, which the Flyers did Monday night for the third time in four games with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at the Wachovia Center.

Mike Richards completed a comeback from a 2-0 deficit with a third-period power play goal that resulted from sheer determination. Richards' goal, his 23rd of the season, came with 7 minutes, 58 seconds remaining after he took a pass from defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was stationed behind the net. The Flyers had pumped several shots on Martin Brodeur during the power play.

Flyers goalie Michael Leighton, who was in the net for the third consecutive game while the team tries to determine the extent of Ray Emery's hip problem, protected the lead with a dazzling glove save of a drive by Patrik Elias.

For the Flyers, there were several anxious moments after Timonen went to the penalty box for boarding with 1:58 remaining and the Devils pulled Brodeur to create a two-man advantage in the final minute. The Flyers survived.

The Flyers had just returned from a three-game road trip in which they scored only four goals, and it appeared they brought their scoring problems home with them when they were down, 2-0, late in the second period.

Typically, Brodeur and the Devils' lockdown defensive system make two-goal leads appear much bigger. But by the time the second period expired, it was 2-2 as James Van Riemsdyk, the Flyers' Jersey-born rookie, and Jeff Carter scored 72 seconds apart.

Van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers a needed emotional lift when he used Devils defenseman Andy Greene as a screen and beat Brodeur. With 24 seconds to go in the period, Carter scored on a two-on-one break, pumping a pass from Scott Hartnell past the sprawling Brodeur, who had robbed Carter minutes earlier.

By the time the two teams played nine minutes, the Flyers had taken three penalties and suffered a dose of misfortune when a shot by Zach Parise caromed off Chris Pronger's left skate and slipped past an unsuspecting Leighton for a power-play goal and 1-0 New Jersey lead.

The Flyers survived two subsequent Devils power plays, and defenseman Kimmo Timonen may have saved a goal just before the horn sounded to end the first period when he dived to break up a two-on-one in front of the Flyers' net while the Devils were short-handed.

• Sharks 3, Maple Leafs 2: Ryane Clowe scored with less than seven minutes left in the third period, leading San Jose to a road victory against Toronto.

• Coyotes 6, Oilers 1: Matthew Lombardi had two goals and three assists for a career-high five points and the host Phoenix routed sputtering Edmonton for its 36th victory, matching its total from last season.

• Avalanche 5, Blues 2: Brandon Yip scored two goals, Chris Stewart had a goal and two assist and host Colorado Avalanche beat St. Louis.

• Ducks 4, Kings 2: Corey Perry had a goal and two assists, and host Anaheim Ducks snapped Los Angeles' franchise-record nine-game winning streak.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.