PHILADELPHIA - The Flyers sent a message to their fan base and, perhaps more importantly, to their players on Wednesday when they acquired veteran center Valtteri Filppula from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In his first game in Philadelphia on Thursday night, the 32-year-old scored with 9:22 remaining in the third period to send the game into overtime, and shootout goals by Jordan Weal and Jakub Voracek gave the Flyers a 2-1 win. The two points could mean the difference between getting into the playoffs or watching them.

"It was definitely nice to get the win," Filppula said after snapping a personal 15-game goal-less drought. "It was fun to play, for sure."

"I think (acquiring Filppula) adds to the belief that was and is in our locker room," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "It hasn't been an easy four or five weeks for us, yet this group still has a strong belief in one another. Adding 'Fil' does nothing but strengthen that belief."

Goaltender Steve Mason stopped 39 shots and denied two of three shootout attempts to lift the Flyers (30-26-7) to their second straight win, moving them within two points of the Panthers in the crowded race for the second Eastern Conference wild-card position. Prior to the two-game win streak the Flyers had lost seven of their previous nine games.

James Reimer took the loss for the Panthers despite making 35 saves in relief of Roberto Luongo. Aaron Ekblad netted the Panthers' lone goal.

Luongo, who ranks 23rd in the NHL with 17 wins (17-15-6), stopped all 13 shots he faced in the opening period but did not return for the second period because of a lower-body injury.

"He'll be out for a week," Panthers coach Tome Rowe said. "I don't think it will be anything long-term."

Reimer and the Panthers were 9:22 away from a shutout when the Flyers tied the score midway through the third period. Filppula drove the net and poked a centering pass from Brayden Schenn past Reimer for his first goal as a Flyer.

Both goalies were tested in the final minutes of regulation, with Reimer smothering a point-blank shot by Wayne Simmonds and Mason snaring a snap shot by Aleksander Barkov with 18.2 seconds remaining.

"He's a great goalie," Voracek said of Mason, who has allowed one regulation goal in his last two starts. "With that stop he made with 20 seconds left, it was huge. He made a couple stops in overtime. It was a great performance."

The Panthers (29-23-11) lost for the fourth time in five games, but they have picked up three points in their past two games.

"I guess a team like that, who you are trying to bury, obviously, you want to win in regulation," Reimer said. "But we are trying to catch teams, too, so you have to rack up the points no matter how."

The Flyers peppered Reimer with a flurry of shots early in the second period, but he held them at bay until Ekblad scored his ninth goal of the season and his first career short-handed tally.

With Philadelphia on the power play, Flyers captain Claude Giroux had his outlet pass picked off by Ekblad in the neutral zone. The 21-year-old weaved past Giroux and fired a bullet past Mason to give Florida the lead 11:34 into the second period.

"I blacked out," Ekblad said with a laugh. "Giroux made that errant pass and I jumped up and got lucky. A defenseman probably wouldn't have made the play he made and it made it easy for me to get around him."

It was the sixth short-handed goal of the season for the Panthers and the ninth short-handed goal allowed by the Flyers. Only the Dallas Stars have allowed more.

"I played that wrong defensively, it's frustrating," Giroux said. "I'm (ticked) off and I have to be better. The team played a great 55-minute game and personally I gave Florida a point, so it's frustrating and I have to be better."

NOTES: Valterri Filppula made his Flyers debut on a second line with Jake Voracek and Brayden Schenn. ... RW Thomas Vanek, acquired on Wednesday from the Detroit Red Wings, made his Panthers debut on a third line with Jonathan Marchessault and Nick Bjugstad. ... The Panthers begin a three-game homestand Saturday against the Dallas Stars. They follow with home games against the Rangers and Wild. ... The Flyers hit the road for games in Washington on Saturday and Buffalo on Tuesday.