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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Scott Hartnell's game-winner 4:31 into overtime lifted the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, as both teams resumed play after the All-Star break at Wachovia Center.
Braydon Coburn and Simon Gagne also scored for the Flyers, who have won six of their last seven games and moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division with 61 points, as the Devils fell to Pittsburgh.
Marty Biron turned aside 29 shots in the win.
Anze Kopitar and Matt Moulson scored for the Kings, who are 2-2-1 since a three-game win streak in mid-January. Jason LaBarbera allowed three goals on 40 shots for Los Angeles, which will continue its season-high eight-game road trip in Uniondale on Thursday against the Islanders.
With the score knotted 2-2, the teams played a mostly defensive overtime period before Hartnell's 17th goal of the season ended it.
Mike Richards gained control of the puck and streaked down the left-wing side before he slid a saucer pass into the goal mouth from inside the circle. While falling down, Hartnell, with LA blueliner Lubomir Visnovsky draped on his back, deflected the puck over the goal line with his skates.
"It doesn't matter how pretty they are, we got the two points and that's what matters," said Hartnell. "Good things happen when you go to the net. (Richards) made an unbelievable pass."
LaBarbera immediately called for a review, and the play was viewed on the replay cameras before it was deemed not an intentional kicking motion.
"That's a Hartnell kind of goal," said Flyers coach John Stevens. "When your feet are sideways, it's clearly not a kicking motion. I think it was the correct call."
Following a scoreless opening period, the Flyers grabbed a 1-0 lead before one minute elapsed in the second. Jim Dowd held the puck along the right-wing side and circled around behind the net before a pass to the left point for Coburn, whose slap shot made its way through heavy traffic and beat LaBarbera.
A costly turnover by Flyers defenseman Jimmy Vandermeer led to the tying goal shortly after Coburn's tally. Vandermeer attempted a clearing pass from beneath the right circle in his own zone, but the puck was intercepted by Alex Frolov, who sent a soft backhand pass from the top of the near circle to Kopitar for a blazing wrist shot at the 1:50 mark.
Philadelphia moved ahead 2-1 on Gagne's power-play marker 3:48 into the third period. The Flyers moved the puck around the perimeter before Kimmo Timonen released a shot from atop the right circle that Gagne deflected home from near the left post.
"There's been a lot of talk about our power play, so teams are focusing on it," Stevens added. "We've done a good job all year of shooting the puck when we have the chance, moving the puck through lanes and using traffic in front to gain scoring chances."
Moulson's fourth goal -- a deflection in front on a weak, floating wrister from the point by Visnovsky -- tied it up with 7:02 to play in regulation.
Game Notes
The Flyers improved to 9-2-1 in the month of January and lead Pittsburgh by one point and the Devils by two in the tight division race...This was the fourth contest of a six-game homestand that will resume on Thursday against the rival New York Rangers...LA fell to 8-13-2 on the road this season...The Flyers have won six of their last seven versus Los Angeles...This marked the first visit to Philly by LA since February 20, 2003. The Kings haven't won here since an overtime win on March 23, 2000....The Flyers were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Kings were held scoreless on three chances with the extra skater...Attendance as 19,127.
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