Game 2 – Stanley Cup Final

5/31/10 2-1 Loss CHI leads series 2-0 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 0 0 1 - 1 CHI 0 2 0 - 2 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 3 15 15 - 33 CHI 9 13 4 - 26

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Marian Hossa and Ben Eager scored 28 seconds apart in the second period, and Chicago held on for a 2-1 win in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals at United Center.

This game was a different beast from the 6-5 offensive show in Game 1, which Chicago won, and the Hawks now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after winning their seventh playoff game in a row.

Antti Niemi, lit up for five goals on 32 shots in the first game, had a terrific performance over the last two periods of this contest, as he stopped 29 shots in the final 40 minutes and finished the game with 32 saves.

Simon Gagne scored the lone goal, while Michael Leighton, back in net after being pulled late in the second period of Game 1, stopped 24 shots for the Flyers, who will look to rally at home, as the series heads to Philadelphia for the next two games with Game 3 set for Wednesday at the Wachovia Center.

Philadelphia and Chicago are both looking to end lengthy championship droughts. The Flyers last hoisted hockey’s symbol of excellence following a successful defense in 1975, while the Blackhawks are searching for their first title in 49 years, the longest current dry spell in the NHL.

Trailing 2-0 in the third period, the Flyers made it a one-goal game 5:20 in with a power-play marker. Mike Richards backhanded a pass from the left boards, and Gagne one-timed the rolling puck past Niemi, who was being screened by Jeff Carter.

The goal sparked the Flyers, as the team took the play to Chicago over the next several minutes and generated several opportunities, but they were unable to bury any of them.

A shot from the left point was redirected on net and the rebound kicked out to the right side. It went off of Gagne, but Niemi was able to stretch the left pad out to stop it with around 7 1/2 minutes to play.

Much of the remainder of the game was played in Chicago’s end as Philadelphia continued to dominate play.

With just over two minutes to play, Ville Leino made a move to get past his defender for a clear shot at the inside left circle, but Niemi came up with the save.

Philly got Leighton out of the net with just under two minutes to play for the extra attacker, but Niemi came up with the stops.

The game was nearly sealed as Patrick Sharp had a clean look at the open net, but his shot hit the right post, and Philly was called for icing with 19.4 seconds to play.

The Flyers were able to quickly get the puck down the other end, but Chicago grabbed control of the puck and cleared it for the win.

The first goal came 17:09 into the second period, as Duncan Keith lobbed a shot on net from the slot and the rebound sat in front. Sharp, parked in front of the net, took a swipe at it before Hossa was able to chip it in from the right side.

Moments later, a neutral zone turnover enabled Chicago to gain the zone, and Eager’s wrister from the right wing found its way over the glove of Leighton for a 2-0 lead.

Philadelphia’s best chance in the opening frame came with about 12 1/2 minutes to play. The Flyers had an extra player on the ice due to a delayed penalty call on Chicago, and Ian Laperriere found himself wide open for a one- timer from the slot, but he banged the shot off the post.

Chicago had a power play, its first of the series, later in the first when Blair Betts was called for cross-checking, but the Philadelphia penalty killers kept the Blackhawks from setting anything up.

The Blackhawks got another power play with 2:33 left in the first when Richards was called for elbowing. This power play was much more active as the Blackhawks set up a couple of plays, but they were unable to cash in, and the game went into the first intermission with no score.

The Blackhawks got their third power play of the game 5:08 into the second when Richards was called for hooking, but they were unable to get anything going on the advantage.

Shortly after the power play expired, Richards found himself on a breakaway, but Niemi came up with the pad save to keep it scoreless.

Chicago had a 3-on-2 break a bit later and got an open shot as Sharp threw a one-timer from the slot on net, but Leighton came up with the pad save, and Chicago was unable to take advantage of the rebound.

With under six minutes to play in the second, Jordan Hendry cranked a shot from the top of the left circle with traffic in front, but Leighton came up with the save and didn’t give up a rebound.

Moments later, Aaron Asham was wide open for a one-timer at the left circle that was going to the right corner, but Niemi flashed the glove and swallowed it up.

Game Notes

Philadelphia has lost seven straight Cup games dating back to Game 7 of the 1987 Finals against Edmonton. The team was then swept by Detroit in 1997…Chicago forward Andrew Ladd sat out again with an upper-body injury. He sat out Game 1 and was replaced by Tomas Kopecky, who scored the game- winning goal in the opening contest and played again in Game 2…Philadelphia had forward Dan Carcillo and defenseman Oskars Bartulis in the lineup in place of forward James van Riemsdyk and defenseman Ryan Parent…Philly went 1-for-3 on the power play while Chicago was 0-for-3…Hossa’s goal was his third of the playoffs and first since Game 3 against Vancouver in the Western Conference semifinals.

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
none

2nd Period
17:09 CHI Marian Hossa (3) Slap Shot – Assists: T. Brouwer (3) & P. Sharp (10)
17:37 CHI Ben Eager (1) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Byfuglien (3)

3rd Period
05:20 PHI PPG – Simon Gagne (8) Slap Shot – Assists: M. Richards (16) & J. Carter (2)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
07:26 CHI Kris Versteeg : Interference – 2 min
14:48 PHI Blair Betts : Cross checking – 2 min
17:27 CHI Tomas Kopecky : Roughing – 2 min
17:27 PHI Mike Richards : Elbowing – 2 min
17:27 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Unsportsmanlike conduct – 2 min

2nd Period
05:08 PHI Mike Richards : Hooking – 2 min
19:24 CHI Troy Brouwer : Roughing – 2 min

3rd Period
03:21 CHI Patrick Sharp : Tripping – 2 min
20:00 PHI Chris Pronger : Misconduct (10 min) – 0 min
20:00 CHI Ben Eager : Misconduct (10 min) – 0 min

Game 1 – Stanley Cup Finals

5/29/10 6-5 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 3 2 0 - 5 CHI 2 3 1 - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 17 9 6 - 32 CHI 9 15 8 - 32

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Chicago, IL (Sports Network) – Tomas Kopecky supplied the game-winning goal 8:25 into the third period, as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated Philadelphia, 6-5, in a wild Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals from a raucous United Center.

Troy Brouwer registered two goals and one assist for the Blackhawks, who entered this round as the presumptive favorites after beating three teams with at least 100 points in the regular season, including a four-game sweep of the top-seeded San Jose Sharks, to claim the West title and advance to the Cup Finals for the first time since 1992.

Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg joined Kopecky with a goal and one helper for Chicago, while rookie Antti Niemi made 27 saves but clearly struggled at times with puck control.

“The first period, physically was a little jittery for both teams,” said Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville. “More so us, and even in the second I still think we were a little bit more emotional than we normally are. And then all of a sudden we picked up the tempo, and pace that we wanted to set and continue. That’s the standard we want to move on going forward to the next game.”

Chicago will host Game 2 on Monday.

Danny Briere had a goal and three assists and Scott Hartnell added a goal with two assists for Philadelphia, which has overcome a bevy of obstacles to reach the Cup Finals for the first time in 13 years.

The Flyers weathered a coaching change from John Stevens to Peter Laviolette in early December, injuries that ravaged the lineup, and needed a shootout win on the final day of the regular season to secure a playoff spot.

Once the postseason started, Philadelphia encountered more injury woes, losing forwards Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere and goaltender Brian Boucher, but still managed to upset New Jersey in Round 1 and rally from an 0-3 series deficit to stun Boston in the semifinals.

The Flyers then dispatched world-beater Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Michael Leighton, drafted by Chicago in 1999, didn’t get much help from a leaky Flyers’ defense and was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 20 shots.

“I’m totally disappointed in the way I played,” Leighton said. “I felt all right. Every time they had a good chance they scored.”

Brian Boucher made 11 saves the rest of the way but allowed the decisive tally in his first action since injuring both knees in Game 5 of the semifinals against Boston on May 10.

“We’ve got to be a little bit better defensively than we were,” Laviolette admitted. “It wasn’t a lot of chances. It was probably a dozen chances for them. But some of them were point blank. We have to tighten it up right in front of our goal.”

Philadelphia and Chicago are both looking to end lengthy championship droughts. The Flyers last hoisted hockey’s symbol of excellence following a successful defense in 1975, while the Blackhawks are searching for their first title in 49 years, the longest current dry spell in the NHL.

Boucher made a sprawling save on Bolland 10 seconds into the third to keep the game tied, but the returning netminder couldn’t turn away Kopecky, who took a feed from Versteeg, outwaited the former Blackhawk as he moved below the left circle and slid the puck inside the near post.

The play started with Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook keeping the puck in the zone at the right point. Kopecky, a healthy scratch for the last five games, was in the lineup only because Andrew Ladd was unable to go because of an upper-body injury suffered in the series-clinching win versus San Jose.

“Remarkable comeback. Great play, good patience on the winning goal,” Quenneville said when asked about Kopecky. “I thought that line was very dangerous. Very affective. (Bolland) and (Versteeg) really complemented (Kopecky).”

Niemi snatched a Briere slapshot with two minutes left in regulation, the Flyers’ best chance at an equalizer.

“It’s the greatest trophy to win because it’s so hard,” Kopecky said. “This time of the year it’s all about the battle. Who wants it more is going to win. Today we wanted it more, but I think we can still be better.”

The Flyers and Blackhawks combined for five goals in a the opening period, with Philadelphia emerging with a 3-2 lead. It was the most goals scored in the first period of Game 1 in the Cup Finals since 1982, when the New York Islanders outscored Vancouver, 3-2.

The Flyers lit the lamp moments after failing to convert on the first power play of the series.

Briere kept the puck in at the offensive blueline and swept it to the right circle for Ville Leino, who fired a shot on goal. Niemi made the save with Hartnell planted outside the crease, but the rebound went in off Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson at 6:38.

Brouwer tied the game 68 seconds later on a nice feed from Marian Hossa, beating Leighton to the far side from the high slot.

A shorthanded goal by Bolland gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead. With Patrick Kane off for slashing, Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn mishandled the puck at the Chicago blueline. Bolland gathered the puck and scored on a breakaway, firing a shot toward the gap in between Leighton’s legs. The disc trickled up the goaltender’s stick and snuck under his right arm at 11:50.

Hartnell pulled the Flyers even on the power play, scooping the rebound of Chris Pronger’s heavy point shot behind Niemi with 3:23 to play.

Philadelphia regained the lead when Briere jumped on a loose puck in the low slot and fired a shot over the fallen netminder with 26.1 seconds remaining in the first.

The two teams combined for five more goals in the middle stanza.

Chicago knotted the score at 3-3 1:11 into the middle stanza when Patrick Sharp, a former Flyer draftee, pushed the puck down the right side on an odd- man rush and beat Leighton over the left shoulder.

Blair Betts’ first goal of the playoffs made it 4-3 in favor of the visitors at 7:20 of the second, but Versteeg provided a rebuttal for the Blackhawks, pumping in his own rebound midway through the frame.

Chicago moved ahead 5-4 at 15:18 when Hossa dished from behind the Philadelphia net to Brouwer, who let go a shot earmarked for the top right corner.

A one-timer by Philadelphia forward Arron Asham from the left circle tied the game with 1:11 remaining.
Game Notes

Chicago leads the playoffs with four shorthanded goals, including two by Bolland…The Flyers finished 1-for-4 on the power play and were not whistled for a penalty…Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews had a 13-game point streak snapped. It was a franchise record for a single playoff year, surpassing Stan Mikita’s 11-game streak set in 1962…Toews, Kane and Dustin Byfuglien were each minus-3 for Chicago…The 11 combined goals was the most in a Cup Final game since Pittsburgh beat the Blackhawks 6-5 in Game 4 to complete the sweep in ’92…The Blackhawks’ win on Saturday was their first in a Cup Final since May 8, 1973. The Blackhawks had lost each of their past five Cup Final games…Philadelphia has lost six consecutive Cup Final games…The Flyers scored two goals in the final 2:04 of regulation, including Pronger’s game-winner with just 2.1 seconds left, to edge the Blackhawks 3-2 in the only regular-season meeting in Philadelphia on March 13…The Blackhawks and Flyers have met once previously in the playoffs, a four-game sweep by Chicago in the 1971 West Division quarterfinals…Pronger is playing in the Cup Finals for the third time in the past five years (Edmonton in 2006 and Anaheim in 2007)…Hossa became the first player in NHL history to appear in the Cup Finals for three consecutive seasons with different clubs: Pittsburgh (2008) and Detroit (2009)…This marks the third consecutive year that the visiting club in the Winter Classic has advanced to the Cup Finals. The Penguins traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo on January 1, 2008 and the Red Wings battled the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in Chicago a year later. The Flyers began 2010 by taking on the Bruins at Fenway Park in Boston…An Original Six club, Chicago is making its 11th appearance in the Cup Finals. For the Flyers, it is their eighth trip since entering the league in 1967…Laviolette is the eighth head coach to advance to the Cup Finals after joining his club during the season. He won the Stanley Cup as head coach with Carolina in 2006…Quenneville won a Stanley Cup in 1996 as an assistant with Colorado.

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SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
06:38 PHI Ville Leino (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Briere (10) & C. Pronger (11)
07:46 CHI Troy Brouwer (3) Slap Shot – Assists: M. Hossa (10) & B. Sopel (4)
11:50 CHI SHG – Dave Bolland (6) Wrist Shot – Assists: none
16:37 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Briere (11) & C. Pronger (12)
19:33 PHI Danny Briere (10) Wrist Shot – Assists: V. Leino (9) & S. Hartnell (6)

2nd Period
01:11 CHI Patrick Sharp (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: T. Brouwer (2) & N. Hjalmarsson (5)
07:20 PHI Blair Betts (1) Slap Shot – Assists: A. Asham (3) & D. Powe (1)
09:31 CHI Kris Versteeg (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: T. Kopecky (2) & D. Keith (10)
15:18 CHI Troy Brouwer (4) Snap Shot – Assists: M. Hossa (11) & N. Hjalmarsson (6)
18:49 PHI Arron Asham (4) Slap Shot – Assists: D. Briere (12) & S. Hartnell (7)

3rd Period
08:25 CHI Tomas Kopecky (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: K. Versteeg (6) & D. Bolland (6)

PENALTY SUMMARY

1st Period
03:26 CHI Ben Eager : Cross checking – 2 min
09:58 CHI Patrick Kane : Slashing – 2 min
15:51 CHI Brian Campbell : Hi-sticking – 2 min

2nd Period
04:49 CHI Adam Burish : Boarding – 2 min

3rd Period
NONE

Game 5 – Eastern Conference Finals

5/24/10 4-2 Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 1 2 1 - 4 MON 1 0 1 - 2 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 6 12 8 - 26 MON 9 6 12 - 27

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Jeff Carter notched a pair of goals and Mike Richards picked up a goal and two assists, as the Philadelphia Flyers dispatched the Montreal Canadiens by a 4-2 count in the deciding Game 5 of this Eastern Conference final.

Arron Asham also tallied for the Flyers, who head to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997 and did it in a more impressive manner and in a tougher fashion than the last time.

Philadelphia reached the Cup Finals that season by rolling past Pittsburgh, Buffalo and the New York Rangers in 15 total games only to be swept by Detroit — which ended a then NHL-longest 42-year title drought.

This time around, it was a five-game victory over New Jersey in the conference quarterfinals followed by an improbable seven-game semifinal win against Boston which saw Philly become the first team in 35 years to rally from an 0-3 series deficit.

A victory over Montreal was secured in large part by holding the Habs to a total of seven goals in five games, including three shutouts by Michael Leighton.

Leighton stopped 25-of-27 shots for the victory, running his record this postseason to 6-1.

Now, Chicago stands in the way. The Blackhawks, who eliminated the Sharks with a Game 4 victory on Sunday in the Western final, haven’t taken home the championship since 1961, the longest drought in the league. The Flyers have not won since the second of back-to-back triumphs in 1975.

Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez lit the lamp for the Canadiens, who managed to topple top-ranked Washington and defending Cup champion Pittsburgh in seven- game triumphs before bowing in their first conference finals since winning it all in 1993.

Jaroslav Halak allowed three goals on 25 shots for Montreal, which had won all five of its previous elimination games before Monday’s season-ending defeat.

With the setback, it marks the first time since the club joined the NHL that it failed to win a Stanley Cup at least once in a decade.

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SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
00:59 MTL Brian Gionta (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Gomez (12) & R. Hamrlik (9)
04:25 PHI SHG – Mike Richards (6) Backhand – Assists: C. Giroux (9)

2nd Period
03:07 PHI Arron Asham (3) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Carle (10)
04:31 PHI Jeff Carter (3) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Richards (14) & K. Timonen (8)

3rd Period
06:53 MTL Scott Gomez (2) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Subban (7) & B. Gionta (6)
19:37 PHI EN – Jeff Carter (4) Backhand – Assists: M. Richards (15)

PENALTY SUMMARY

1st Period
03:11 PHI Kimmo Timonen : Roughing – 2 min
06:34 PHI Jeff Carter : Tripping – 2 min
07:41 MTL Marc-Andre Bergeron : Tripping – 2 min
11:20 MTL Josh Gorges : Interference – 2 min
16:03 PHI Arron Asham : Too many men/ice – bench – 2 min

2nd Period
08:48 MTL Mathieu Darche : Too many men/ice – bench – 2 min
11:03 PHI Matt Carle : Interference – 2 min
15:02 MTL Roman Hamrlik : Slashing – 2 min
16:14 MTL Brian Gionta : Hi-sticking – 2 min

3rd Period
09:12 PHI Chris Pronger : Hi stick – double minor – 4 min
11:49 MTL Glen Metropolit : Tripping – 2 min

Game 3 – Eastern Conference Semis

5/5/10 4-1 Loss BOS leads series 3-0 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total BOS 2 0 2 - 4 PHI 1 0 0 - 1 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total BOS 8 9 3 - 20 PHI 12 15 8 - 35

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Blake Wheeler notched a goal with one assist while Mark Recchi added a key power-play score as Boston dispatched Philadelphia, 4-1, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series from Wachovia Center.

Miroslav Satan and Patrice Bergeron also lit the lamp for the Bruins, who have a stranglehold on the set after winning the first three games.

Tuukka Rask picked up his seventh win of these playoffs with a 34-save performance.

“We haven’t been happy the way we’ve played in our own end. We thought we were just a little lax back there,” Recchi said of his club’s first two games. “I think we made the conscious effort coming on the road, playing a real good road defensive game. When we did make mistakes, Tuukka was there.”

Arron Asham provided the lone offense for the Flyers, who will try to avoid being swept for the first time since 1997 in front of the home crowd in Game 4 on Friday.

Brian Boucher allowed three goals on only 19 shots in defeat.

An early-third-period Bruins power play turned into Boston’s third goal of the contest, as Recchi knocked a loose puck home from the right post at 2:30 for a 3-1 edge.

The play was made possible after Zdeno Chara’s errant point blast hit the arm of Flyers defender Chris Pronger, deflected off Wheeler and came right to Recchi for the tap-in.

Philadelphia failed to capitalize on an advantage a little over two minutes later, then came up empty on another power play with just over five minutes remaining.

Boucher was called to the bench for an extra attacker with more than two minutes to play and Bergeron hit the empty net with 1:52 left to ice the contest.

The Flyers took the lead just 2:32 after the opening faceoff, as Claude Giroux fed across to Asham for a shot just inside the right post. It was the first time all series the orange and black came out ahead on the scoreboard.

It didn’t last long as Wheeler responded for the visitors by tipping in a Matt Hunwick point shot at 4:11.

“It’d be nice to play with the lead, obviously. We haven’t had it at all this series and I don’t know what to say,” Boucher lamented. “It’s frustrating when you don’t have the lead and it seems like you are chasing all the time.”

Boston went ahead at the 5:45 mark during an odd sequence. David Krejci was carrying the puck across the Bruins’ blue line into the neutral zone when he was crushed with a hard check by Flyers captain Mike Richards.

Play continued though Krejci was shaken up, and Chara gained control. He dished ahead to Milan Lucic as he was curiously unmarked by Pronger, and Lucic sent Satan up the middle for a successful backhander past a diving Boucher.

“We had a big hit on that play. Richie (Mike Richards) had a big hit and Satan ended up getting a breakaway. He made a good move, and unfortunately I just couldn’t get it,” Boucher admitted.

Rask, who wasn’t seriously tested despite 15 Philly shots in the second period, nevertheless needed to be strong at both posts to stop multiple stuffer attempts.

Boucher, on the other hand, came up with a glove stop inside of five minutes to play on a Daniel Paille breakaway chance.

The Bruins and Flyers both failed to convert late-period man advantages and the visitors remained ahead by one.

Game Notes

The Bruins are a perfect 16-0 when leading a best-of-seven series by a 3-0 margin…The Flyers have faced an 0-3 series deficit in best-of-seven playoff series six times in franchise history and have only forced a Game 5 on one occasion (2008 Eastern finals vs. Pittsburgh in a five-game defeat)…Krejci left the game briefly following the hit, came back, but did not return after the late stages of the second period…Recchi is the third-oldest player in NHL history to score in the playoffs, after Chris Chelios (age 45) and Gordie Howe (age 52)…Satan tied a career-best for goals in one playoffs with five, first set in 1998 with Buffalo.

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
02:32 PHI Arron Asham (2) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (3) & B. Betts (1)
04:11 BOS Blake Wheeler (1) Tip-In – Assists: M. Hunwick (5) & M. Savard (1)
05:45 BOS Miroslav Satan (5) Backhand – Assists: M. Lucic (4) & D. Krejci (4)

2nd Period
none

3rd Period
02:30 BOS PPG – Mark Recchi (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: B. Wheeler (4) & Z. Chara (3)
18:08 BOS EN – Patrice Bergeron (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: none

Penalty Summary

1st Period
none

2nd Period
06:16 BOS Steve Begin : Tripping – 2 min
15:16 PHI Kimmo Timonen : Holding – 2 min
17:52 BOS Andrew Ference : Cross checking – 2 min

3rd Period
00:50 PHI Arron Asham : Tripping – 2 min
04:51 BOS Johnny Boychuk : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min
14:10 BOS Steve Begin : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min

04/01/10 6-4 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 0 1 3 - - 4 NYI 3 1 2 - - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 8 13 14 - - 35 NYI 14 9 6 - - 29

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Game Wrapup

New York Islanders 6, Philadelphia Flyers 4

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) – Jon Sim had a goal and two assists as the New York Islanders snapped a 15-game losing streak at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-4 victory.

Blake Comeau had two goals while Trent Hunter, Sean Bergenheim and Frans Nielsen each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won three of their last four. Martin Biron made 31 stops in the win.

Darroll Powe, Danny Briere, Aaron Asham and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal for the Flyers, who last lost a game to the Islanders on February 12, 2008.

Brian Boucher started in net for Philadelphia, which has lost six of its last seven, and was tagged for five goals on 24 shots before being pulled in the third period. Jeremy Duchesne made his NHL debut and stopped three shots.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, it didn’t lose any ground in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Flyers are tied with the Bruins and Canadiens for the last three playoff spots in the conference. Boston lost to Florida, while Montreal didn’t play on Thursday.

The Islanders struck three times in the first eight minutes of the game to take command of the contest.

The first goal came 2:11 in as a right circle faceoff win by Jonathan Tavares saw the puck go back to Comeau, who fired a wrister on net that hit off of Briere for a 1-0 lead.

It was 2-0 five minutes later when Comeau threw the puck out front from behind the left side of the net and it went off of Lukas Krajicek before skidding past Boucher.

Just 32 seconds later, Sim and Nielsen worked a give-and-go with Sim sending it from the left side to the front and Nielsen tipped it in.

At the 3:06 mark of the second period, New York took a 4-0 lead when Mark Streit’s shot from the left point was stopped and Bergenheim banked the rebound in from behind the left side of the net.

Philly got on the board with 7:34 left in the second as Scott Hartnell sent a pass from behind the right side of the net to the front where Asham one-timed it home.

New York made it a 5-1 game 2:30 into the third as Hunter’s wrister went off the glove of Boucher and in. Boucher was pulled from the net after the goal.

On the power play, the Flyers got a puck into the net as van Riemsdyk banged home a Claude Giroux rebound at the 4:22 mark.

Sim, though, essentially sealed the win with 8:08 to play as his wrist shot from the left circle found its way into the left corner of the net for a 6-2 advantage.

Briere got a goal with 5:07 to play while Powe’s goal with just over a minute to play capped the scoring in the game.

Game Notes

New York hosts Ottawa on Saturday…Philly hosts Montreal on Friday…The Flyers win streak against New York was the longest stretch of victories by one team over any single opponent in the league…Philly went 1-for-3 on the power play, while New York failed to score on any of its three chances.
Last updated: April 1, 2010 at 10:16 PM

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
02:11 NYI Blake Comeau (15) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Tavares (25)
07:17 NYI Blake Comeau (16) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Tavares (26)
07:45 NYI Frans Nielsen (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Sim (8) & T. Hunter (16)

2nd Period
03:06 NYI Sean Bergenheim (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Streit (33)
12:26 PHI Arron Asham (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (30) & C. Pronger (44)

3rd Period
02:30 NYI Trent Hunter (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: F. Nielsen (25) & J. Sim (9)
04:22 PHI PPG – James van Riemsdyk (15) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (29) & M. Richards (31)
11:52 NYI Jon Sim (12) Snap Shot – Assists: S. Bergenheim (11) & D. Reese (1)
14:53 PHI Danny Briere (25) Wrap-Around – Assists: B. Coburn (14)
18:51 PHI Darroll Powe (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (30) & L. Krajicek (3)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
15:12 PHI Scott Hartnell : Tripping – 2 min

2nd Period
04:01 NYI Freddy Meyer : Roughing – 2 min
09:26 NYI Trevor Gillies : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
09:26 PHI Riley Cote : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
18:15 PHI Ville Leino : Interference – 2 min

3rd Period
03:41 NYI Kyle Okposo : Hi-sticking – 2 min
07:56 PHI Scott Hartnell : Interference on goalkeeper – 2 min
12:39 NYI Trevor Gillies : Slashing – 2 min

3/11/10 5-1 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total BOS 1 3 1 - - 5 PHI 0 1 0 - - 1 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total BOS 13 14 10 - - 37 PHI 9 14 9 - - 32

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Tuukka Rask stopped 31-of-32 shots to lead Boston over Philadelphia, 5-1, at Wachovia Center.

Patrice Bergeron added a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game slide. Marco Sturm, Blake Wheeler and David Krejci each posted a goal and one helper.

Jeff Carter recorded the lone goal for the Flyers, whose two-game win streak came to an end.

Starter Michael Leighton was tagged for four goals on 25 shots in 31-plus minutes. Brian Boucher finished the game with 11 stops.

Wheeler put the Bruins on top with a backhander from a 3-on-1 rush at 13:15, and Rask stopped Arron Asham in front and later Simon Gagne on a breakaway to keep the one-goal margin.

Carter evened the score on the power play less than a minute into the second, but Mark Recchi roofed a shot from a sharp angle to give the Bruins a 2-1 edge at 4:37

Bergeron was quick to a loose puck and stashed it over a fallen Leighton at 10:30 for a 3-1 Boston edge and Krejci was alone in front to convert another rebound at 11:16 to signal Leighton’s exit at 4-1.

Sturm finished off a quick pass from Bergeron for a 5-1 game with 7:25 left in regulation.

Game Notes

The clubs split four games in the season series, with each team winning on the other’s home ice…Both teams are in action on Saturday as Boston, which improved to 2-1-1 on its current seven-game road trip, plays in Montreal and Philadelphia hosts Chicago.

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
13:15 BOS Blake Wheeler (15) Backhand – Assists: D. Krejci (22)

2nd Period
00:44 PHI PPG – Jeff Carter (32) Snap Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (25)
04:37 BOS Mark Recchi (14) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Bergeron (28) & D. Seidenberg (23)
10:30 BOS Patrice Bergeron (14) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Sturm (14) & M. Hunwick (7)
11:16 BOS David Krejci (13) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Ryder (11) & B. Wheeler (19)

3rd Period
12:35 BOS Marco Sturm (21) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Bergeron (29) & D. Seidenberg (24)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
14:02 BOS Mark Stuart : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
14:02 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Fighting (maj) – 5 min

2nd Period
00:40 BOS Dennis Seidenberg : Boarding – 2 min
07:41 PHI Ian Laperriere : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
07:41 BOS Mark Stuart : Fighting (maj) – 5 min

3rd Period
01:42 PHI Danny Briere : Hooking – 2 min
12:20 BOS Matt Hunwick : Roughing – 2 min
12:20 PHI Daniel Carcillo served by Arron Asham : Roughing – 2 min
12:20 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Misconduct (10 min) – 0 min

2/10/10 3-2 OT Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 1 1 0 1 - 3 NJD 2 0 0 0 - 2 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 6 6 1 2 - 15 NJD 7 8 7 1 - 23

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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For the second time in three nights, the Philadelphia Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit to knock off the New Jersey Devils. Unlike Monday when Mike Richards sealed the deal with a third-period goal, the Flyers delivered the knockout punch in overtime on Wednesday.

Simon Gagne circled in the Devils’ zone uncontested before unleashing a wrist shot from between the circles that beat goalie Martin Brodeur 3:27 into OT to give the Flyers a 3-2 win and a sweep of their home-and-home series with their Atlantic Division rivals.

“Gags had a heck of a shift and scored a really big goal,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was a dominating shift. He was on the puck, dug it up again, made moves and dug it up again and made moves and finally got to a spot where he could let go and he let it fly.”

The goal was Gagne’s first in 13 games.

“It’s been tough,” Gagne said. “I’ve gotten some chances but I still haven’t been able to score goals. The team needs goals to win hockey games. It’s been on my mind the whole time. This is definitely going to take that big monkey off my back.”

Jeff Carter and Aaron Asham scored for Philadelphia, which beat the Devils for the fourth time in five games to wrap up its first season series win against New Jersey since going 3-2-0 with a tie in 2003-04. The teams play once more in March – a game that’s likely to draw more than the announced crowd of 5,580 fans who braved a blizzard to get to the PrudentialCenter in Newark.

“I think it is a good test to show what we are made of, where this team has come from and where this team needs to get to,” Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said. “We certainly don’t want to make it a habit of getting down 2-0 in games and hopefully, that will be the last. Like I said, you don’t do this against the New Jersey Devils too often.”

New Jersey, meanwhile, has lost 11 of 15 and has seen its division lead over second-place Pittsburgh shrink to just one point.

“We found a way to lose. We just found a way to lose — it’s that simple,” Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said. “We talk all the time about having long shifts. In the room before games, before practices and behind the bench. And we still have long shifts and it hurt us on the very last goal. We’re tired. And when you’re tired, you can’t run, you can’t skate and can’t chase anybody. You just stand.”

The Flyers spotted the Devils the first two goals of the game before rallying to tie. Carter connected for the equalizer, getting his 24th goal of the season off a left-circle snap shot that beat Brodeur to the long side 13:47 into the second.

“I think (the comebacks) go with how we have been playing, the turnaround,” Carter said. “Earlier, down 2-0, we were done. When we were in that stretch it was tough. It is something that has built over time.”

Brodeur, who yielded three of more goals for the sixth straight time and is 4-8-2 in his last 14 games, is puzzled by the recent slide.

“When you’re not doing well, guys are doing more individual things to get out of it and sometimes it goes negatively,” Brodeur said. “I think game-in and game-out, we’ve been losing the same way. But we have to hit it soon enough because we don’t want to allow teams back close to us. We gave ourselves a cushion in the standings, but it’s going down.”

The Devils played without forward Zach Parise, who practiced on Tuesday, but was listed as a late scratch with an upper-body injury. It marked the first time since Dec. 23, 2007, when he was sidelined with the flu, that Parise missed a game.

The Devils were also without defenseman Anssi Salmela (upper-body) and defenseman Bryce Salvador departed late in the first period after getting hit with a high stick in his own end.

Ilya Kovalchuk, meanwhile, is still looking for his first goal since being acquired last Thursday — he joined the Devils having scored 31 with the Atlanta Thrashers. Despite finishing with five shots in 26:27 of ice time against the Flyers, Lemaire thought Kovalchuk was tired.

“I did not think this was Ilya’s best game,” Lemaire said. “I think he looked a little tired — maybe the travel got to him.” Kovalchuk has two assists, 23 shots and a minus-2 rating in four games with the Devils.

The Devils were given a two-man advantage for 25 seconds midway through the third when Flyers defenseman Matt Carle was whistled for holding in front of his net, but the Flyers killed it off to keep the game squared at 2-2. The Devils finished 0-for-3 on the power-play and are 4-for-51 in the last 18 games.

“(The power play) is something that’s not been perfect,” captain Jamie Langenbrunner said. “We’re trying to get used to new situations. We have to find that next edge of sacrificing ourselves in front of the net and putting ourselves into those tough situations — getting some dirty ones. We have to find a way to get dirty and make it happen that way.”

With starter Ray Emery nursing a left hip injury, Michael Leighton made his fourth straight start in goal for the Flyers and was particularly busy in the third period when the Devils outshot the visitors, 7-1. He finished the game with 21 saves, including 16 in the final two periods and overtime.

The Devils, who have wasted two-goal leads in four of their last five games, took a 2-0 edge in the first on goals by Travis Zajac and Rob Niedermayer. Zajac connected for his 18th of the season on a shot from the left circle that squeezed through Leighton’s pads just 45 seconds into the game.

Niedermayer’s goal, his first in 13 games, came off a deflection in front of the net at 8:01. After pushing an offensive-zone draw into the right-wing corner, Rod Pelley returned a pass to Niedermayer. The veteran forward then threw a spinaround backhander from the bottom of the right circle that deflected off Leighton’s pad and hit defenseman Kimmo Timonen’s left leg before going high over Leighton’s right shoulder and into the net.

The Flyers made it 2-1 just 32 seconds later on Arron Asham’s rocket from the right faceoff dot that deflected off the shin of Devils defenseman Andy Greene and past Brodeur on the short side. The Flyers nearly evened the score with 5:15 remaining while on the power-play when Scott Hartnell’s tip off a 2-on-1 with Carter was denied by Brodeur’s left glove right along the goal line.

Referee Marc Joannette, in fact, went to the replay to confirm the puck didn’t cross the goal line after entering Brodeur’s mitt.

But the Flyers tied the game on Carter’s goal and spoiled the night for the hardy few who made it to the game when Gagne scored in OT – leaving the Devils shaking their heads.

“Guys are not feeling confident about themselves,” Brodeur said. “It’s been a little tougher to get going both offensively and defensively. We’re getting back bounces. It’s just a matter of time.”

Content Copyright 2006, [url=http://sportsnetwork.com]The Sports Network[/url]. Distributed by [url=http://xmlteam.com]XML Team Solutions[/url].

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period
00:45 NJD Travis Zajac (18) Snap Shot – Assists: B. Rolston (13) & M. Fraser (3)
08:01 NJD Rob Niedermayer (7) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Pelley (6)
08:33 PHI Arron Asham (7) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (22) & B. Coburn (11)

2nd Period
13:47 PHI Jeff Carter (24) Wrist Shot – Assists: D. Briere (18) & S. Hartnell (19)

3rd Period
NONE

OT Period
03:27 PHI Simon Gagne (7) Wrist Shot – Assists: K. Timonen (26) & C. Pronger (33)

PENALTY SUMMARY

1st Period
10:23 PHI Danny Briere : Slashing – 2 min
13:17 NJD Colin White : Tripping – 2 min

2nd Period
03:00 NJD Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond : Interference – 2 min
08:27 NJD Martin Brodeur served by Vladimir Zharkov : Delaying Game-Ill. play goalie – 2 min

3rd Period
07:44 PHI Braydon Coburn : Interference – 2 min
09:19 PHI Matt Carle : Holding the stick – 2 min
10:48 NJD Patrik Elias : Hooking – 2 min

OT Period

NONE

2/1/10 3-0 Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 0 1 2 - - 3 CGY 0 0 0 - - 0 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 7 8 12 - - 27 CGY 7 3 8 - - 18

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Calgary, AB (Sports Network) – Ray Emery posted his third shutout of the season behind 18 saves, and the Philadelphia Flyers topped a new-look Calgary club, 3-0, at the Saddledome.

Mike Richards’ 100th NHL goal in the game’s second period proved to be the game-winner, while the Flyers’ captain added another in the third for his first two-goal game since December 23 against Tampa Bay.

Claude Giroux scored on a breakaway in the third as Philadelphia won the opener of a three-game road trip following a 4-2-0 homestand. Simon Gagne assisted on both Richards’ scores.

“I thought that was probably our best sixty minute effort in a little while,” remarked Flyers coach Peter Laviolette.

The Flames, meanwhile, failed to build off their lone win in their previous 10 games following Saturday’s 6-1 drubbing of Edmonton. The following day, Calgary pulled off a seven-player trade with Toronto in an effort to shake the team out of the doldrums — most notably sending defenseman Dion Phaneuf to the Leafs, while receiving four Toronto regulars in return.

Instead, the hosts dropped their seventh game in the last eight at home and moved to 1-7-3 over their last 11 games overall. Miikka Kiprusoff had 24 saves in the loss.

“We had a lot of guys here tonight who just didn’t play well. The emotion level was not where it needed to be. We can’t have players, new and old, take too long getting used to each other because we have no time for that, we need to win hockey games,” said Flames coach Brent Sutter.

After the game, the Flames did more dealing, sending forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust to the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins.

Following a scoreless first period, Richards got things started just past the halfway point of the game — finding a loose puck in the slot off a Gagne deflection and cranking a shot over the glove of Kiprusoff.

Less than two minutes into the third, Arron Asham hit Giroux with a cross-ice pass streaking down the left wing. He feigned forehand before flipping a backhander up and over Kiprusoff’s blocker for a 2-0 affair.

Approaching two minutes left in the game, Richards put the finishing touches on the win by rifling a slap shot to the back of the net from the low slot.

Emery wasn’t tested all that much, but came up with stops when he needed to, posting seven saves in the first, three in the second and eight over the final 20 minutes.

Game Notes

The Flames were attempting to win consecutive contests for the first time since putting together a five-game win streak from December 28-January 5…Emery has allowed two or fewer goals in five of his last games…The Flyers notched a 3-2 win the last time the clubs met at the Saddledome on October 4, 2005, and have now won three straight and five of their last six trips to Calgary…Philadelphia had lost four of its last five on the road coming in…Richards has 22 goals on the year, while Giroux picked up his 12th of the season…Acquired from the Maple Leafs on Sunday and in the lineup were defenseman Ian White and forwards Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Matt Stajan.

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Scoring Summary

1st Period
none

2nd Period
10:15 PHI Mike Richards (21) Slap Shot – Assists: S. Gagne (15) & D. Briere (17)

3rd Period
01:49 PHI Claude Giroux (12) Backhand – Assists: A. Asham (12) & O. Bartulis (7)
17:44 PHI PPG – Mike Richards (22) Slap Shot – Assists: S. Gagne (16) & C. Pronger (30)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
07:46 PHI Scott Hartnell : Cross checking – 2 min
10:35 CGY Cory Sarich : Slashing – 2 min

2nd Period
07:34 CGY Jamie Lundmark : Hi-sticking – 2 min
07:38 PHI Danny Briere : Hooking – 2 min

3rd Period
08:28 CGY Jamal Mayers : Tripping – 2 min
17:39 CGY Rene Bourque : Slashing – 2 min