NEWARK, N.J. -- Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is still relatively new to the Philadelphia Flyers, but he felt there was an opportunity for the team to fold as in years past when things got tough Tuesday night.

Right winger Jordin Tootoo pulled the New Jersey Devils into a 2-2 tie midway through the third period, mere seconds after a smothering penalty kill by the Flyers temporarily preserved their lead.

With Prudential Center rocking after that seeing-eye goal, the Flyers could have spent the final 10 minutes on their heels, hanging on for dear life.

Instead, right winger Wayne Simmonds answered with a power-play goal less than three minutes later, and center Nick Cousins scored 50 seconds after that to propel the Flyers to a 6-3 victory that served as just their second win in six games.

"I think in the past you might have seen a Flyer team roll over and die a little bit or go to overtime," said Gostisbehere, whose first-period goal extended his NHL rookie-record streak of 13 games with at least a point, which is also the second-longest points streak in the NHL this season. "But the way we responded was pretty cool. It shows the direction this team is going in."

The Flyers (25-21-10) were fading fast but closed the gap on the Devils (29-22-7) and Pittsburgh Penguins for the wild-card spots. New Jersey and Pittsburgh are five and four points ahead of the Flyers, respectively, for those postseason positions, but while the Penguins have played one fewer game than the Flyers, the Devils have played twice more than Philadelphia.

Was this a must-win for the Flyers, who lost to Devils in overtime and to Rangers in regulation over the weekend?

"We still have a lot of hockey to play," said center Brayden Schenn, whose power-play goal in the second period gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead. "We obviously had a bad weekend, but to get three out of four points against the Devils, we'll take it."

The Flyers played most of the game with just five defensemen, as Radko Gudas was ejected for an illegal check to the head of Devils left winger Bobby Farnham midway through the first period. The puck was nowhere near Farnham, who was engaged with Flyers defenseman Nick Schultz when Gudas leveled the unsuspecting Farnham.

Right winger Tyler Kennedy gave the Devils a 1-0 lead on the ensuing five-minute power play with his first goal in 31 games this season.

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol didn't defend the hit after the game, saying, "It's about winning games, and that play didn't help us win a game."

Philadelphia goaltender Michal Neuvirth stopped 21 of 24 shots, a line that doesn't show how important he was in a contest was either tied or a one-goal game until the late stages. After Cousins pushed the margin to 4-2, Flyers left winger Jakub Voracek and Devils right winger Kyle Palmieri exchanged goals 32 seconds apart, and Flyers center Ryan White fired a puck into an empty net with 1:52 remaining.

It was a game of undesirable firsts for the Devils, who allowed six goals and also lost in regulation after scoring first (20-1-4) for the first time this season. Goaltender Cory Schneider allowed five goals on 25 shots, the first time he gave up more than four goals in a game all season.

"We had a 2-1 game going into the third, and we didn't stick to the plan," Devils defenseman Andy Greene said. "We were right there, had a couple breakdowns here and there, and all of a sudden, they took advantage of the opportunities, and we weren't dialed in enough."

The Flyers continue their pivotal five-game road trip with stops in Montreal and Toronto on Friday and Saturday, while the Devils host the red-hot New York Islanders on Friday.

"It's about coming back, and we'll see how the team responds," Devils left winger Joseph Blandisi said. "We've got a lot of good character in the dressing room, and I think our response on Friday is definitely huge for us."

NOTES: It was retro night for the Devils, who wore red and green jerseys for the seventh time since switching to black and red jerseys at the start of the 1992-93 season. ... The Flyers announced C Jordan Weal is out at least three weeks with an upper-body injury. ... The Flyers were without D Michael Del Zotto (upper body) and C Sean Couturier (lower body). ... Devils LW Michael Cammalleri (upper body) missed his eighth straight game. ... Devils LW Patrik Elias (knee) is out indefinitely. ... Devils LW Stefan Matteau (facial fracture) missed his third straight game.