PITTSBURGH -- Max Talbot, a sometimes overlooked fourth-line forward on a team renowned for its stars, scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins took a two-game lead in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 Sunday night.

Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa also scored and Jordan Staal added an empty-net goal in the final minute as Pittsburgh came back to win after twice squandering one-goal leads.

Pittsburgh won the first two games at home for the third consecutive series, with Game 3 set for Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Flyers won each of their first two playoff rounds after losing Game 1, but this is the first time they also lost Game 2 on the road.

The Penguins' game-winner came from its fourth line. Gary Roberts carried the puck behind the net, and defenseman Derian Hatcher went with him, leaving Talbot open in front of the net. Roberts put a backhander onto his stick for Talbot's second playoff goal, at 8:51 of the third.

Fitting that a player known as Mad Max scored the game winner in a peculiar game in which an apparent Pittsburgh goal didn't count and the Flyers scored short-handed and on the power play but couldn't score at even strength. And Crosbyscored only his third power-play goal in 5Â? months.

Philadelphiatied it at 2 when Mike Richards intercepted Evgeni Malkin's risky cross-ice pass on a power, got loose on a breakaway and beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a wrist shot with 24 seconds remaining in the second period. Despite allowing the goal, Fleury played another strong game by making 30 saves.

At the time, the Penguins were pressing for a two-goal lead after Hossa's power-play goal at 13:43 of the second made it 2-1. Hossa scored nine seconds into Hatcher's interference penalty on Malkin.

Crosby's shot from the right wing boards eluded goalie Martin Biron for his fourth playoff goal.

The Penguins thought they scored the second goal, too, as Sergei Gonchar's backhander from along the goal line late in the first deflected off Biron's stick and Hatcher's helmet and appeared to land down on its side across the goal line .

Crosby, whacking at the puck from the side of the net, immediately put his right arm up to celebrate. But no goal was signaled on the ice.