Owen Tippett scores winning goal as Flyers escape trap game with 3-2 victory over Sharks

The Flyers season may have been determined in a matter of seconds.

Facing a San Jose Sharks team that entered the game tied for 31st in the NHL with 39 points — also known as dead last — and with a league-worst minus-111 goal differential, the Orange and Black were tied with them heading into the final frame. It had the makings of another trap game, another loss with the New York Islanders nipping at their heels for their third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division.

But in a 57-second span, things went from looking bleak to bright and a much-needed 3-2 win Tuesday night.

Less than five minutes into the third period, the Wells Fargo Center faithful went from holding their breath to a massive roar. Sharks’ Alexander Barabanov was sprung open down the middle behind the entire Flyers defense on a nifty pass by Fabian Zetterlund. Barabanov protected the puck from a back-checking Cam York and tried to finish with his backhand, but Flyers goalie Sam Ersson made a spectacular left pad save to preserve the tie.

Then, on a delayed penalty to Zetterlund for interference and Ersson on the bench, Travis Konecny found Owen Tippett as he snuck down from the right point. The stick-to-stick cross-ice pass was perfectly placed for Tippett at the right post for a 3-2 lead. The 18,289 in attendance went wild.

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Things started off well for the Flyers. Joel Farabee gave the hometown team a 1-0 lead just 3 minutes, 29 seconds into the game off a beauty of an alley-oop outlet pass by Morgan Frost. It was Farabee’s second goal in the past five games after a 14-game drought.

Then came special teams deployment. The Flyers had four power-play chances in the game; the Sharks had five.

San Jose tied things up each time with a Filip Zadina goal. He tied it 1-1 with 41 seconds left in the opening frame on a power play. After starting the rush up the ice, the forward cut to the net and took a pass from Luke Kunin before going forehand-backhand over the glove of Ersson. He tied the game at 2-2 in the second period with a power-play goal on a tap-in, after being left all alone on the doorstep.

Frost had given the Flyers a 2-1 lead 9:20 into the middle frame on the man advantage. Konecny’s shot from the left faceoff circle deflected off Henry Thrun and popped up and over to Frost in the right circle. The Flyers forward had it drop down off his body before banging it in.

Forwards Cam Atkinson and Nic Deslauriers, and defenseman Adam Ginning were each a healthy scratch. … Bobby Brink played after being a healthy scratch for two games. … Denis Gurianov and Brink got power-play time on the second unit. … The Flyers had 41 shots on goal.

The Flyers host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday (7:30 p.m. on ESPN+/HULU).