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  Tuesday, Jan. 11 7:30pm ET
'Canes can't bring Flyers down to earth
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The team with the fewest penalties in the NHL played a near-perfect game. But all it takes is a few mistakes against the streaking Philadelphia Flyers to cost you a game.

John LeClair
Philadelphia's John LeClair, right, gets a close-up look at a save by Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe.

That's what happened to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night as Simon Gagne scored a power-play goal with 1:19 left as the Flyers extended their winning streak to six with a 4-3 victory.

Carolina entered the game with the league's best home penalty-killing unit, but the Flyers, No. 1 on the power play, scored on their only two man-advantage chances in the game's final 10 minutes to grab the victory.

"We needed that power play to get us going," said Rod Brind'Amour, who scored on the power play with 9:42 left to tie it at 3-3. "Our team has been like that all year on the power play."

Gagne's eighth goal and first game-winner for the rookie center came on a rebound and with Carolina's Tommy Westlund in the penalty box for charging.

"You hate to think the ref gave them a chance to win the hockey game," said Carolina's Gary Roberts, called for a 10-minute misconduct for arguing with referee Richard Trottier as the game ended. "That's the way it looked."

An apparent game-winning goal by Westlund with 2:50 remaining was waved off by Trottier. He said Westlund interfered with Flyers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck as he was poking at the puck in the crease.

"I can't believe that you could make that call at that time of the game," Carolina coach Paul Maurice said. "Tommy (Westlund) had the right to go after the puck in the crease.

"He (Trottier) just makes them up as he goes," added Maurice. "You can use any explanation that you want tonight because there can't be a logical one. Maybe aliens came down and took over his helmet."

Roberts scored his 300th career goal with 12:43 left as Carolina took a 3-2 lead. Roberts scored on a backhander in the slot off a pass from Jeff O'Neill to become just the sixth NHL player to score 300 goals and log 2,000 penalty minutes.

But Carolina's first lead of the night didn't last long.

Brind'Amour picked a rebound out of the air to tie it 3-3 three minutes after the Roberts' go-ahead goal. Gagne then scored the game-winner as the Flyers improved to 6-0-1 in their last seven games.

"It was a good effort when we got down to stay with it," Brind'Amour said.

The teams exchanged three goals in a three-minute span early in the second period after the Flyers had a 1-0 lead.

Martin Gelinas tied it when his wrist shot beat Vanbiesbrouck high on the stick side.

Forty-six seconds later, Philadelphia regained the lead when Eric Lindros lost Ron Francis behind the net and fed John LeClair in the slot. It was LeClair's 24th goal.

Then, with Lindros off for elbowing, Andrei Kovalenko threaded a shot between Vanbiesbrouck's pads and the post for his ninth of the season and third in three games.

The Flyers wasted little time getting on the board, scoring on their first flurry in front of Arturs Irbe. Valeri Zelepukin put in a rebound just 1:09 in.

The Hurricanes managed just two shots on Vanbiesbrouck in the opening 20 minutes. That came on the heels of a two-shot third period against the Flyers in a 4-1 loss Nov. 11 -- the last meeting between the clubs.
 


ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard

Philadelphia Clubhouse

Carolina Clubhouse


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Power Rankings: Flyers still on top


RECAPS
Toronto 3
Boston 2

Philadelphia 4
Carolina 3

Montreal 3
Detroit 0

New Jersey 6
Tampa Bay 5

Colorado 4
Nashville 2

Dallas 3
Edmonton 2

Ottawa 4
Los Angeles 3

St. Louis 5
San Jose 2

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Simon Gagne scores the game-winner for Philly.
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