Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Mike Knuble's goal broke a tie early in the third period and Marty Biron made several key saves down the stretch, as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, at Wachovia Center.

R.J. Umberger registered a goal and two assists while Randy Jones and Jimmy Vandermeer also scored for the Flyers, who entered the All-Star break tied atop the Atlantic Division with New Jersey (59 points). Biron finished with 21 saves for the Flyers, who have won five of their last six games overall.

Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Whitney and Petr Sykora scored for the Penguins, who trail the Flyers and Devils by one point in the division race and are now 2-2-2 since an eight-game win streak that bridged the calendar years. Ty Conklin started between the pipes for the Penguins and allowed four goals on 33 shots.

The score was knotted 2-2 as the third period began, but the Flyers used a five-minute power play that carried over from the previous period to take a 3-2 lead at the 3:53 mark on Vandermeer's blast from the left point.

But just as Georges Laraque's major penalty was set to expire, the Pens tied it up on a controversial short-handed goal. A loose puck in the neutral zone created a 3-on-2 rush for the Pens and Ryan Malone attempted a weak wrister from the low slot. Biron made the initial save, but the puck caromed out to Whitney in the goal mouth. Whitney shot the puck across the goal line simultaneously as Jordan Staal crashed into the net and brought it off its moorings. The play was reviewed for several minutes, but the goal stood.

Only 34 seconds later, Knuble's 16th goal put the Flyers ahead for good. Jeff Carter streaked down the left-wing side and, from along the goal line, sent a backhand pass into the crease area. The puck was loose and Conklin failed to cover it before Knuble's second whack pushed it barely over the goal line.

Pittsburgh had several good scoring chances as the clock dwindled, including a rocket from the high slot by Malkin that Biron deflected away. The visitors were then hamstrung when a questionable hooking call on Malone at 19:10 left the Pens short-handed through the remaining 50 seconds of regulation and the Flyers held on for the win.

The Flyers opened the scoring near the midpoint of the first period when Umberger netted his ninth goal of the season. Danny Briere won a faceoff inside the right circle and drew the puck back to the near point. Jason Smith's slap shot was deflected and settled directly on the stick of Umberger, who gained control in the slot and beat Conklin with a wrister at 9:34.

Malkin's 27th goal tied the score with 3:23 remaining in the opening stanza. Jarkko Ruutu gained control of the puck near the outer rim of the left circle but couldn't get a shot off due to the pokecheck of Jones. However, the disc was corralled in the low slot by Malkin, who then deked to his backhand and slid a backhander under the pads of Biron from near the right post.

At the 12:59 mark of the second period, Philadelphia gained a 2-1 edge with crisp passing that led to a tally by Jones. After they failed to capitalize on a power play following a boarding call on Kris Letang, the Flyers kept the pressure on in their offensive zone and Umberger passed across the slot from the left side to Scott Hartnell. Hartnell, from near the right post, faked a shot on net and passed into the slot for Jones, whose wrist shot lit the lamp.

Pittsburgh, though, fought back with a power-play goal with 2:06 to go in the second. Whitney held control at the left point and sent a soft pass along the blue line for a one-timer from the centerpoint by Sergei Gonchar. The shot was deflected in front by Sykora and flew into the back of the cage.

With less than three seconds remaining before the second intermission, Pittsburgh enforcer Laraque leveled Flyers forward Steve Downie into the left rear boards. Downie was chasing down a loose puck and his head was facing the glass when Laraque cross-checked him from behind. Downie's head smashed directly into the boards and he laid motionless on the ice before he eventually was helped to the locker room.

"(Downie) was five feet from the boards, he was facing the boards, and (Laraque) knew what he was doing," said Flyers head coach John Stevens. "He sent (Downie) face-first into the boards. That's an extremely dangerous play, and the league has obviously dealt with this enough this year that they know what they are doing."

For his actions, Laraque was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.