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Philadelphia 1, Ottawa 0

Posted: Friday May 02, 2003 12:57 AM

Ottawa Senators Related Info: Team Page City Page: • Ottawa

Philadelphia Flyers Related Info: Team Page City Page: • Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- The Philadelphia Flyers got back to what they do best to get back into their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Michal Handzus scored his first career playoff goal and Roman Cechmanek made 28 saves as the Flyers stifled the Ottawa Senators to earn a 1-0 victory and even the series at two games apiece.

After allowing numerous scoring chances in Tuesday's Game Three overtime loss, Philadelphia shut down Ottawa's inside attack, limiting the Senators to perimeter shots.

"We weren't able to get the speed going from our own end," Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "We got tied up as soon as we hit their zone."

In the last six minutes, the Flyers kept Ottawa in its own zone until the final seconds with strong forechecking and a neutral zone trap, a style that led them to a share of the Jennings Trophy during the regular season.

"It was probably our best game of the series so far," Flyers captain Keith Primeau said. "We really fell back on our system and we relied on it heavily. Our guys were in position 95 percent of the time."

"Each and every guy played very well," Cechmanek said. "We played well defensively and I think tonight, we played like a team. ... That's the way I expect every game to now be against Ottawa."

Coming off a shaky performance in Game Three, Cechmanek posted his second shutout of the series and third of his playoff career. The unorthodox Czech Republic goaltender stopped 12 shots in the first period, five in the second and 11 in the third, including a save on Magnus Arvedson alone in the slot with 7 1/2 minutes remaining.

"It was easy," Cechmanek admitted. "I didn't face lots and lots of shots. They didn't have a lot of scoring chances, only a few in the first period and two or three in the third."

"The one two games ago was Roman Cechmanek's shutout," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "In this one, everyone came to play, and we had to. We had to have everyone play, and we did."

Handzus gave his compatriot all the support he needed, deflecting defenseman Chris Therien's point shot past goalie Patrick Lalime late in the first period for his first postseason tally in 34 games.

The series shifts back to Ottawa for a pivotal Game Five on Saturday.

"We are going to play the same Saturday afternoon," Hitchcock said. "And when we come back here again (for Game Six), we are going to play exactly the same way. If we get beat, we get beat. We only know one way to play in the playoffs, and that's the way we played tonight."

The Flyers set the tone early, generating good scoring chances in the first period before breaking through.

Primeau's backhander from the low slot 1:55 into the contest was denied by Lalime, and Sami Kapanen lost control of the puck after cruising between the faceoff circles with 9:35 to go.

After winning a faceoff in the left circle, Handzus pushed the puck to Therien at the left point. With the blade of his stick, Handzus deflected the shot over Lalime's left shoulder and off the crossbar at 17:06 for a 1-0 lead.

"I won the draw and I tried to get in line for a tip-in," said Handzus, who led the Flyers during the regular season with nine game-winning goals. "Chris made a great shot, and I just tipped it a little bit. I was pretty lucky."

Cechmanek made it stand with mostly routine saves as Philadelphia carried the play for the majority of the final two periods.

Second to Dallas' Marty Turco with a 1.83 goals-against average during the regular season, Cechmanek made one of his best saves 4:56 into the second, stopping Martin Havlat's shot from the left side of the net with his right pad.

"I think we need to generate more," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "In order to generate more, we have to get more pucks at the net. We need to get some rebounds, be a little sharper and a bit better with the execution."

The Flyers took over from there, as defenseman Kim Johnsson took a feed from Jeremy Roenick while cutting down the slot and unleashed a quality wrist shot that Lalime turned aside with 7 1/2 minutes left. Just over two minutes later, Johnsson nearly gave Philadelphia a two-goal cushion when his slap shot from the blue line hit the right goalpost while on a power play.

With 55 seconds to go, Handzus carried down the left side on a 2-on-1 with Mark Recchi. But while winding up in the faceoff circle, Handzus was whacked from behind by Alfredsson, causing him to fan on the shot.

Preventing the puck from being cleared from the Ottawa zone, Primeau leaned into a one-timer at the top of the left circle but sent it wide of the net.

Standing in the slot late in the third, Arvedson took a pass from former Flyer Todd White and lifted a shot at an open left side of the net. But Cechmanek glided across the crease to block it and keep his shutout intact.

With teammate Wade Redden's Game Three overtime winner through a screen in mind, Alfredsson attempted to recapture the moment with 4:45 to go. But Cechmanek was prepared this time, stopping the Senators' captain's wrister from the right point.

"We knew Roman was going to stop the first shot," Handzus said. "After that, we tried to clear the front of the net and clear the rebounds. We feel the first shot is going to be stopped, we just focused on the second and third shots."

"Obviously, they are so talented offensively, it's hard to contain a (Marian) Hossa and Alfredsson, guys of that nature," Roenick said. "We did a good job of limiting their quality chances. They didn't have much inside. ... It was a good effort by everybody."