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Flyers Extend Streak On Gagne's OT Winner

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The Associated Press

Published: October 21, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - Simon Gagne is thoroughly enjoying the Philadelphia Flyers' longest winning streak in nearly two years.

Gagne scored his second goal of the game 48 seconds into overtime and the Philadelphia Flyers won their fifth straight game, 3-2 over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

'It's always fun when you get the winning goal,' Gagne said. 'There's no better feeling than when you see the puck crossing the red line and you know that's made the difference at the end. You get two points and you win the game.'

Mike Richards also scored for the Flyers, who won their fourth straight at home. The Flyers, who face the Lightning in Tampa on Thursday, had not won five straight games since Dec. 22-29, 2005.

'To think we'd be 6-1 at this point, I don't think anybody expected that,' Flyers coach John Stevens said.

Jason Williams and Eric Staal scored for the Hurricanes, who had their three-game winning streak snapped by Pittsburgh on Friday night.

'It's a terrible way to end it,' Williams said. 'Back-to-back overtime losses, which make it three on the year, and we've only played eight or nine games. We've got to find ways to win these overtime games.'

Gagne stopped a pass from Derian Hatcher with his skate, then snapped the game-winner into the net. It was his 400th career point.

Williams, an ex-Flyer who leads the Hurricanes with 11 points (three goals, eight assists), gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with 2:08 left in the second period. He deflected Cory Stillman's shot from near the boards between the pads of goalie Martin Biron.

Richards pulled the Flyers even at 2-2 only 1 1/2 minutes into the third period with a slap shot from the top of the right circle on a power play.

Gagne put the Flyers ahead 5:12 into the first period. Danny Briere tipped Braydon Coburn's pass to Gagne, who flipped it past Carolina goaltender John Grahame.

Staal made it 1-1 with a power-play goal 46 seconds later, lifting the puck into the net from left of the crease after taking a cross-ice pass from Jeffrey Hamilton.

Staal's goal snapped Biron's shutout streak at 143 minutes and 20 seconds, dating to a 3-1 win over the Islanders on Oct. 13.

Biron, who has started all seven Flyers games, had blanked Atlanta and New Jersey, both 4-0, in his previous two starts.

Biron was almost as sharp on Saturday, stopping 40 of 42 shots and improving his record to 6-1. Grahame had 28 saves.

'We want to show teams that we can come back,' Biron said. 'It's tough in this league to win when you're down after two periods. It's something that we take pride in doing.'

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