Canadiens use four-goal third to down Flyers

By Bob Herpen

The Phanatic Magazine

Roman Hamrlik finished with a goal and one assist as Montreal used a four-goal third period to shake off Philadelphia, 5-3, at the Wachovia Center.

Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Komisarek, Robert Lang and Steve Begin tallied once each for the Canadiens, who have won two games in a row, both on the road.

Carey Price stopped 29 shots for the win.

Mike Richards had a goal and a helper for the Flyers, who have dropped both of their season-opening home games. Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter each scored once.

Martin Biron allowed four goals on 26 shots to take the loss, his second of the year.

"Tonight I was seeing the puck well," Biron said. "I just let them off the hook a little bit."

The 31-year-old had a horrible first game on Saturday, allowing four goals on 14 shots in less than one period.

Hamrlik's tip-in from the left side 1:18 into the third tied the game, 2-2. On the goal, Alex Kovalev's cross-ice pass from the right wing found the Habs defenseman alone for the score.

A fluke deflection 44 seconds later gave Montreal a 3-2 lead. Komisarek wound up from the right point and his shot caromed off the stick of Philly's Scottie Upshall and changed direction before hitting the net.

"It got me in the shoulder and the puck went right to the back of the net," Biron said of the unlucky bounce.

Lang converted a four-on-four situation with a redirection of a Hamrlik pass with 6:20 left in regulation to put the Canadiens ahead by two.

Gagne then scored into a half-open net while on the power play 64 seconds later. Mike Knuble had fanned on the initial shot from the slot and Gagne corralled it in front and slipped the disc home.

Unlike Saturday's whirlwind effort late in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, the Flyers could not muster any offense with Biron pulled. Begin iced the game for the Habs with an empty-netter at 19:25.

In a four-on-four situation, Kostitsyn stuck a wrister off the right post and past a screened Biron just 54 seconds into the second period.

Carter knotted the game at 2:46 when he took a feed from Upshall and blasted a slapshot from the bottom of the left circle.

Richards' point blast on the power play at 4:15 put Philly ahead by one. Danny Briere's bank shot on a stuffer attempt with 8:09 played, which could have boosted the home team to a two-goal cushion, was ruled no goal by a replay.

Montreal kept pressing and Lang hit the post a few minutes later, followed by a great Biron glove save on a screaming wrister from Kovalev.

The Canadiens were unable to get an equalizer and the Flyers took a one-goal lead to the third.