Defensive lockdown

Flyers improve play in own end, beat Leafs 4-1 in Game 2

Roman Cechmanek bounced back from a bad performance in Game 1, making 16 saves Friday as the Flyers evened the series. AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Philadelphia Flyers dominated the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second straight game. This time, they did it on the scoreboard, too.

Simon Gagne, John LeClair and Mark Recchi each had a goal and assist, leading the Flyers to a 4-1 victory over Toronto in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series Friday night.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Monday night in Toronto.

Jeremy Roenick also scored for the Flyers. Alexander Mogilny had Toronto's only goal. Mogilny scored three in Toronto's series-opening win.

"We played two strong games. Unfortunately, we made some mistakes in Game 1," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They did what they had to do. They got a win here. Now we need to go there and get a win."

The Leafs beat the Flyers 5-3 in the series opener, despite being outplayed and outshot 31-15. Philadelphia outshot Toronto 36-17 Friday, including 31-10 after two periods.

The undermanned Leafs were without forwards Nik Antropov (foot) and Darcy Tucker (knee), both injured in Game 1. Also, center Doug Gilmour (knee) and defenseman Glen Wesley (ankle) remained sidelined.

"There was no doubt who deserved the game tonight," Leafs captain Mats Sundin said. "If it wasn't for Ed Belfour, it would have been an even worse score. We have a lot of work to do as a group."

Philadelphia controlled the game from the start, playing most of the first period in Toronto's end. After failing to convert on their first two power-play opportunities, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead on a short-handed goal by Gagne with 7:51 left in the first.

Gagne stripped the puck from Owen Nolan just beyond the blue line, skated down the right wing, went through defensemen Phil Housley and Bryan McCabe and took a shot that was stopped by Belfour. But the rebound bounced back to Gagne, and he poked it in.

Roenick made it 2-0 with 2:13 left in the first, converting a crisp pass from Gagne after a turnover by Housley.

"We were hungry to the puck, we were workhorses," Roenick said.

Belfour had 32 saves after stopping 28 of 31 in the opener. Roman Cechmanek, who allowed four goals on his first 13 shots in Game 1, made 16 saves.

Mogilny cut it to 2-1 early in the second period. Mogilny skated around Flyers defenseman Chris Therien, went around the back of the net and backhanded a shot under Cechmanek's pad.

But the Flyers regained their two-goal lead just 1:42 later on Recchi's goal. Recchi tried to center a pass to LeClair from the side of the net, but the puck bounced off Belfour and McCabe and into the net.

LeClair made it 4-1 midway through the second on a power-play goal -- just his second goal in his last 13 playoff games. Eric Weinrich blasted a shot from the point that was stopped, but LeClair stuffed the rebound past Belfour.

"We couldn't move the puck, we were a solo team," Leafs coach Pat Quinn said. "They beat us to all the pucks everywhere. We just got a good old-fashioned whipping."

The Flyers already have seven goals in the series. They scored a record-low two goals in a five-game, first-round loss to Ottawa last season. Philadelphia has been eliminated in the first round in four of the last five years.

Toronto has won its opening-round series four consecutive years.

"The other night wasn't the way we play. We gave up too much," Recchi said. "Tonight, we pressured people, we got back to playing our way."

Notes: A sellout crowd of 19,597 turned out at the First Union Center after a rare non-sellout for the series opener. ... The Flyers are 8-5 in playoff series in which they win the second game after losing Game 1. ... Cechmanek improved to 4-8 in the playoffs. ... Leafs D Jyrki Lumme played in his 100th career playoff game. ... The last time Philadelphia scored four goals in a playoff game was May 18, 2000, in a 4-2 victory over New Jersey in Game 5 of the conference finals. ... Leafs D Wade Belak, a healthy scratch in Game 1, returned to the lineup and played some shifts at forward. ... Enforcers Tie Domi and Donald Brashear, both goal-scorers in the opener, exchanged a flurry of punches during a fight midway through the third.

 

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