PHILADELPHIA -- As defenseman Matt Hunwick took the air out of the building, his team gained much-needed life.

With the Philadelphia Flyers brewing another comeback, Hunwick whipped a slap shot into the back of the net with 7.5 seconds left in regulation, boosting the hapless Toronto Maple Leafs to a stunning 3-2 win Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center.

"You need to win to feel good about yourself," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "Suddenly we'll have much more energy tomorrow than we would have."

It was just three days ago that Toronto lost such a game when the Boston Bruins handed it another disheartening loss, this one with 47 ticks remaining on the clock.

But for the Maple Leafs (17-20-7), who entered with the NHL's fewest wins, Tuesday's final-minute thriller was in their favor as they halted a five-game losing streak. Toronto also received goals from left winger Joffrey Lupul and defenseman Roman Polak.

"It just shows you how the margin for error is so small," Lupul said. "We battled right to the end and got rewarded."

The Flyers (20-16-8) had all the momentum in the third period when defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere went coast to coast off a turnover to net the game-tying goal 12:59 into the final stanza.

Philadelphia came in with five third-period comeback wins, but its rally was thwarted as was its six-game point streak.

"It would've been great to get into overtime," Flyers goaltender Steve Mason (10-11-6) said after stopping 32 shots. "But at the end of the game there, we got what we deserved for the effort that we had tonight."

Philadelphia, which has had issues getting up for games against lower-tier teams, is 8-9-3 against clubs in the bottom half of their respective conferences.

"The way we came out tonight, we are not a playoff team if we come out like that," Gostisbehere said. "That's just not good for us. We have to prepare for everyone no matter who they are."

Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer (8-7-4) made 31 saves and finally got some offense. Over the five-game skid, Toronto had been outscored 19-5.

"It's a lift when anybody scores," Babcock said. "It's been a drought for us."

The Flyers struck first 11:06 into the opening period when defenseman Evgeny Medvedev saved their fluttering power play. With the man advantage ticking down, Medvedev pinpointed a long entry pass to slashing right winger Matt Read, who backhanded the puck just between the left goal post and Reimer for a 1-0 lead.

Some hustle and second-chance effort by Polak drew the Maple Leafs even just over two minutes later. Mason made a save on right winger Brad Boyes, but as he went to corral the rebound, Polak came scrambling in to punch it home for his first goal of the season.

Toronto appeared to jump ahead in the second period when center Peter Holland put the puck in the net off a bad Philadelphia turnover, but the goal was overturned after Flyers coach Dave Hakstol successfully challenged the play. The Maple Leafs were ruled offside.

However, Toronto made up for it not long after as Lupul deposited a juicy rebound with 4:50 left in the second period. Mason had no chance after sprawling to his left to save a wide-open shot by defenseman Dion Phaneuf. The puck bounced right to Lupul, who handed the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead entering the third.

"I haven't woken up one day thinking about who's ahead of us or behind us in the standings," Hakstol said. "I'm worried about the two points that are at hand and tonight we didn't play well enough to compete for the two points."

The Flyers nearly stole them when Gostisbehere turned a Maple Leafs mistake into a tie game with seven minutes left in the third.

That was until the final seconds came around and so did Toronto.

"I thought we played a real strong, consistent game. For them to score there, I thought it was good response by us," Phaneuf said. "We got one late and that's how hockey goes."

NOTES: The Maple Leafs are without LW James van Riemsdyk, who will miss 6-to-8 weeks with a non-displaced fracture in his left foot announced on Jan. 11. The 2007 first-round draft pick of the Flyers entered Tuesday second on the Maple Leafs in points with 29. ... Flyers C Jordan Weal, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 6, was a healthy scratch and has yet to appear in a game with Philadelphia. ... D Frank Corrado and LW Josh Leivo were healthy scratches for the Maple Leafs. Both have played in a combined seven games this season. ... Flyers D Brandon Manning was a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game since D Shayne Gostisbehere's return from a lower-body injury.