PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Flyers couldn't have asked for a much better start to the season than what they had through their first 4 games. Their record was 3-1-0, they led the Atlantic Division after being the worst team in the league last season, and they've done it with a combination of balanced scoring, responsible defense, and stellar goaltending.

Their contest against the struggling Atlanta Thrashers Tuesday night only served to add to their early season confidence.

The Flyers overcame a ho-hum first period to pile on 3 second poeriod goals on their way to a 4-0 victory over the Thrashers at the Wachovia Center.

Martin Biron earned his first shutout as a Flyer, and the 19th of his career by making 31 saves, many of them with great athleticism. Johan Hedberg made his 2nd start of the season for the Thrashers, but left with the loss despite 29 saves and a respectable performance.

Mike Richards got the scoring started for the Flyers with his 3rd goal of the season just 1:21 into the 2nd period when a bouncing puck in the Atlanta zone found its way to the stick of Joffrey Lupul in the slot. Lupul sent a pass to the left post where Richards was waiting to jam it home past Hedberg.

Atlanta held the Flyers off for a while after falling behind 1-0, but 2 Philadelphia goals within 34 seconds blew the game open and essentially set the pace for the rest of the night.

Jeff Carter's 4th goal of the season doubled the Philadelphia lead at 12:56 of the 2nd. Carter blasted a shot toward the net just after gaining the Atlanta blueline, and the puck found its way through the screen set up by Scott Hartnell to make it 2-0 Philadelphia.

Sami Kapanen added the next goal and seemed to break the will of the Thrashers when he caught Hedberg way out the net after making an intial save on R.J. Umberger. The puck went through the legs of Hedberg and off the skate blade before heading right into the path of Kapanen who beat his defensive coverage for a clear shot at the open net.

After Kapanen's goal, Hedberg appeared to be almost on his own as the Thrashers had the wind knocked out of them by the two rapid-fire goals.

But the final blow was dealt by Flyers defenseman Randy Jones, who was somewhat of a surprise to make the team straight out of training camp. But Jones has legitimately impressed early this season, just as he did with his 1st goal of the season. Jones took a backhand pass from Carter in the high slot, went backhand to forehand, and released a rocket that beat Hedberg high to the glove side. All this while holding off a defender.

Philadelphia is now 4-1 for the season and continues to lead the Atlantic Division. The win at home also follows an emotional 3-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Philly's home opener on Saturday.

With the loss, the Thrashers dropped to 0-6-0 in their first 6 games of the season, and are the league's only winless team. Their failure to earn a single point in the standings thus far this season can be partially attributed to their woeful power play, which was 0 for 5 on the night, and is 2 for 26 for the season.

NOTES: Philadelphia's Ben Eager missed the game due to dizziness that he first experienced during the game against the Islanders on Saturday. The Flyers have now won seven straight games against the Thrashers, dating back to Nov. 18, 2005. The Flyers now have 4 wins...something they didn't accomplish last season until Nov. 15th.