OTTAWA -- Paying attention to details has the Philadelphia Flyers on their first three-game winning streak of the season.

"We're starting to build our confidence," Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds said after his late second period goal broke a tie and sent Philadelphia to a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre. "We're starting to roll now. You can really tell. Everyone's got their head up no matter what happens. They score a goal and everything is fine.

"We know we've got a good team here. We just have to continue the way we've been playing and support one another."

Simmonds also drew an assist on an empty-net goal by center Sean Couturier, who pitched in with two helpers of his own. Defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Evgeny Medvedev had the other goals for the Flyers (10-10-5).

Center Zack Smith and winger Mike Hoffman replied for the Senators (12-7-5), who lost for the second time in a row.

Senators goalie Craig Anderson made 29 saves, while Flyers goalie Steve Mason turned aside 23 shots.

The Senators lost winger Milan Michalek in the second period to a hand injury that coach Dave Cameron said would keep him out "awhile", then watched center Mika Zibanejad leave the game in the third after being hit in the head by Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas, who was not penalized on the play.

Cameron said Gudas should have been given a five-minute major.

"Direct hit to the head," said Cameron, who was asked if he believes Gudas should be suspended. "Oh for sure. Isn't that what the league is about today? No headshots? I'd be shocked if that's not reviewable and (he's) suspended."

Simmonds broke a 2-2 tie with 3:25 remaining in the second when capitalized on a turnover by Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, then broke down ice on an odd-man rush.

Simmonds banged in his own rebound for his sixth of the season.

Wayne Simmonds has been a guy who has really been setting the bar for us, I think, the last few games," said Flyers coach Dave Hakstol. "I thought he was real good again tonight, not just because he's got a couple of points. I think he's playing at a real strong level. He's one of our leaders and that's what our guys would expect."

Earlier in the middle period, Medvedev scored his first NHL goal with a wrist shot from the point as a penalty to Michalek expired. But Hoffman got that one back 1:06 later with his sixth goal in the last five games.

"I am very happy to finally score and the whole team begins to win," Medvedev, a Russian, said while translating for himself into his iPhone. "I am very grateful to my partners for such a good pass."

Gostisbehere opened the scoring with his fourth goal in nine games at 14:27 of the first period, but less than three minutes later, Smith evened the count with his sixth of the season on just 19 shots.

Before that, Mason made some big early stops to keep his team close.

"He was good, especially in the third when I thought we put a lot of pressure on him, threw some pucks at the net," Smith said of Mason, who lost 4-0 to the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre Nov. 21. "I think he was definitely better this game than he was the previous time we saw him."

The Senators (12-7-5), now losers of two in a row, were playing their first game since returning from a six-day road trip with stops in Dallas, Colorado and Arizona.

"I think we were tired today," said Karlsson, whose team arrived back in Ottawa Sunday at 6:30 a.m. "I think you could feel that. Unfortunately the way it is sometimes.

"The fatigue made us make some bad decisions some times. Unfortunately that's going to happen in a game. It cost us today. We've got to move on, make sure we get our rest. We have a very important game (at home against Chicago) Thursday."

Asked if he sensed his players were fatigued, Cameron bristled.

"That's an excuse," he said. "Shouldn't be tired when you play this game."

The Flyers next game is Friday in New Jersey.

NOTES: Senators D Patrick Wiercioch, who has recovered from a whiplash he sustained in a Nov. 19 collision with Columbus C Nick Foligno, was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row. Senators LW Colin Greening was the other healthy scratch. ... Senators G Craig Anderson made his eighth consecutive start while Senators G Andrew Hammond recovers from a concussion. ... Flyers D Nick Schultz missed his first game with an upper-body injury. ... Flyers C Vincent Lecavalier was a healthy scratch. ... The Flyers have killed off 21 consecutive short-handed situations. It's the team's best penalty-killing streak since a run of 26 in a row from December 2013 into January 2014.