Flyers' Bellemare skates into NHL history

CHICAGO - Lost in the shuffle of the Flyers' 6-5 comeback win in Dallas on Saturday night was the fact that Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was part of a historic event.

The Flyers' 29-year-old center and his fellow countryman and role model, Dallas' Antoine Roussel, became the first France-born players to face each other in an NHL game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"It was special," Bellemare said in his thick French accent. "It felt great."

Bellemare and Roussel went to dinner Friday night, but that their main topic wasn't the history they were about to make.

"We actually didn't talk so much about it," Bellemare said. "That's not something you focus on."

But he admitted that it was a significant development for his country, which has had nine players make it to the NHL, starting with Washington's Andre Peloffy in 1975.

"Both of us know it's a big step for French hockey," Bellemare said. "I think a lot of people back home watched just because there were two Frenchmen on the ice, so both of us are pretty proud."

Bellemare played well in Saturday's victory, winning 54 percent of his faceoffs and finishing at plus-1 in nearly 15 minutes. He came close to scoring his first NHL goal, but his second-period shot hit the post. Roussel, 24, who is in his third NHL season, was scoreless and minus-1 in 17:07.

Bellemare and Roussel were French teammates in the 2014 IIHF World Championships.

In Saturday's win, the Flyers overcame deficits of 1-0, 4-2 and 5-4.

"To kind of steal a game here out of Dallas feels pretty good," defenseman Mark Streit said after contributing two assists and playing a team-high 26:26. "Hopefully, it gives us a lot of energy and confidence" for the rest of the road trip, which finishes with difficult games in Chicago on Tuesday and in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

"You work for the guy beside you," said Bellemare, whose 1-2-2 team has registered points in its last three games.

Coach Craig Berube called it a "good character win," but he wasn't overly satisfied with the performance. "I'm happy we won the game," he said, "but there are things we need to clean up."

Berube was referring to some sloppy defensive play and poor penalty killing.

Stunning stat: The Flyers lead the NHL with an average of seven penalty minutes per game.

Defenseman Braydon Coburn, who has missed the last four games with an injured left foot, said his goal is to be back in the lineup Tuesday in Chicago.

The Flyers desperately need Coburn. Without him, they have allowed an average of four goals per game. In the only game he played, they dropped a season-opening 2-1 decision in Boston.

Jake Voracek collected a goal and two assists Saturday, giving him points in all five games this season.  The last Flyer to score in each of the first five games was Chris Pronger in 2011, according to Elias. . . . Claude Giroux, who scored Saturday's overtime goal, Voracek and Wayne Simmonds are tied for the team lead with seven points.

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