After trailing 11-4 on the shot clock midway through the first, the Flyers broke out against the previously sharp Fleury and finished the frame with a 17-13 edge.

In Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Game 3, Philadelphia managed only eight shots through two periods. The Flyers had 26 in the first 40 minutes this time.

Once they got the ever-elusive lead, the Flyers looked a little like the Penguins as they tried to clog up the neutral zone.

Pittsburgh has been doing that to perfection, allowing only 22 goals before Thursday.

In a period the Flyers had been waiting four games to unleash, Philadelphia scored three times to take control for the first time in the series. After netting five goals in falling into an 0-3 hole, the Flyers struck for three in a span of 10:23.

Not bad for a club that hadn’t been in front since the first period of Game 1, a lead that lasted only 1:21.

“It’s always nice to score first,” Richards said. “It allows us to play a little looser, and instead of playing from behind do things that we’ve had success doing.”

After going 1-for-9 on the power play in the first three games, the unit that was the NHL’s second-best during the regular season started to click. It took time for the Flyers to overcome the loss of top defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, who are out with injuries but could be back Sunday.

Randy Jones fired a shot as he glided along the blue line, and the puck bounced off Fleury into the slot. Briere squeezed his way past 6-foot-7 defenseman Hal Gill and swept in a rebound from his knees at 11:48.

Carter also scored from in close, banging away at a rebound of R.J. Umberger’s shot and finally knocking it past Fleury with 1:10 left in the period.

Philadelphia was successful in its first game with new lines. In an attempt to spark the offense, coach John Stevens moved Richards up to play with Briere and dropped down slumping forward Vinny Prospal.

Notes: The Penguins were held without a power-play goal for just the third time in the playoffs. They are 1-2 in those games. ... Coburn wasn’t healed enough from a swollen eye to return, but might return soon. Timonen will skate Friday and could also make a surprise comeback. ... Penguins LW Gary Roberts missed his second straight game with pneumonia. He is day to day.

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