Flyers win in shootout
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - March 21, 2008 The Flyers again blew another late lead in the third period,
this time letting a 2-0 advantage midway through the third and a
3-2 edge with 1:51 left in regulation slip away.
Jaromir Jagr scored a tough goal with under 2 minutes remaining
to force overtime.
The Flyers improved to 2-5 in shootouts when Richards and Carter
scored on Philadelphia's first two shots. Martin Biron was perfect
and the Flyers won for the second time in seven games against the
Rangers.
Philadelphia jumped over Boston into seventh place in the
Eastern Conference with seven games left. The Rangers are sixth in
the East, but closed within three points of New Jersey and
Pittsburgh - the co-leaders in the Atlantic Division.
New York played most of the game without leading scorer Scott
Gomez (67 points). Gomez fell early in the first period, crashed
into the boards behind the net shoulder-first, and didn't return.
Danny Briere scored twice in the third period for the Flyers.
Marek Malik and Nigel Dawes scored 1:48 apart in the third to
tie it at 2.
Briere's 27th goal midway through the second gave the Flyers a
2-0 lead behind Biron's solid effort. Philadelphia coach John
Stevens challenged his goalies this week to step up their games and
said, "We need our goalie to be our best player from this point
on."
Biron was up to the challenge until New York tagged him with two
goals in only 1:48 that resulted in boos.
Malik scored his second of the season on a slap shot from above
the circle. Then Dawes scored his 12th goal from the high slot with
6:11 left. The puck appeared to tick off defenseman Patrick
Thoresen's leg and caromed into the net.
Briere, though, was set to win it.
Briere had some challenges his first season in Philadelphia and
even was booed for a spell from fans expecting more from the big
ticket free-agent acquisition. The crowd erupted when he knocked in
a loose puck with 3:31 left in regulation and crashed head first
into the net.
Briere's smile and the celebration was short lived.
In recent weeks, the Flyers blew a lead to Florida with 3.7
seconds left in regulation and lost in overtime, squandered a 3-0
lead in the third period and lost to Toronto, and came within a
blade of blowing a two-goal lead to Atlanta on Tuesday.
Jagr delivered the crucial comeback goal in this one and in most
improbable fashion. He backhanded in a rebound off an impossible
angle and evened the score.
The Rangers, though, couldn't score again.
Richards' breakaway goal early in the first period was enough to
spoil Steve Valiquette's starting shutout streak against the
Flyers. Valiquette made a combined 51 saves in two shutout
victories over the Flyers and came off the bench to beat them
earlier this month (17-for-18).