Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Vinny Prospal scored the game-winning goal in the third period and Antero Niittymaki's 17th and final save of the game was also his most important, as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Atlanta Thrashers, 3-2, at the Wachovia Center.

Mike Richards and Jeff Carter also scored and Niittymaki earned a victory for the first time in six weeks for the Flyers, who halted a four-game winless skid and beat Atlanta for the 10th consecutive time. Philadelphia maintained its hold on the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference with 82 points. Niittymaki made a right pad save on a blast by Ilya Kovalchuk from the low slot with one second remaining in regulation to preserve the win.

Kovalchuk's 50th goal of the season brought the Thrashers within 3-2 with only 30 seconds remaining in regulation, but his final blast failed to tie it up as the Thrashers lost their third straight game. Chris Thorburn also tallied in the loss while Kari Lehtonen was strong with 44 saves for Atlanta.

The Flyers held a comfortable two-goal lead as time wound down in regulation, but when Kovalchuk's wrister from the left slot at 19:30 lit the lamp, it seemed as if the Flyers third-period woes were about to continue. But Niittymaki saved the day literally at the final buzzer.

"I think it surprised everybody," said Niittymaki. "I did not have time to think. I just reacted."

After the Thrashers opened the scoring 58 seconds into the game on a fluke goal that deflected off a skate and was credited to Thorburn, the Flyers tied it up at the seven-minute mark.

Richards held control in the left corner along the rear boards and sent a centering pass for Joffrey Lupul, whose wrister from the low slot was saved by Lehtonen. The rebound kicked to the right of the net, and Lupul got there first and sent the disc toward the net from beneath the goal line. Lehtonen again made the save, but could not control the rebound before Richards swooped in and tucked home a wraparound stuffer from the right post.

Near the end of the second period, Atlanta's Mark Recchi was whistled for hooking and the Flyers went to work on the power play. After several scoring chances were denied, the puck was held by Lupul along the high left half-wall before a soft pass back to the center point, where Kimmo Timonen blasted a one-timer. From the low slot near the inner rim of the left circle, Carter redirected the shot and the change of direction fooled Lehtonen for a 2-1 Philly lead with 2.6 seconds to go in the stanza.

"We kept going and everyone was on the game plan tonight," said Carter. "We knew what these two points meant, and we needed to have them."

Over eight minutes into the final period, Prospal provided insurance with his 31st goal of the season and his second with the Flyers since he was traded here on February 25. Danny Briere skated down the right-wing side on a late- developing 2-on-1 and, from inside the lower right circle, passed across the slot for Prospal's successful snap shot at 8:07.