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REUTERS
TORONTO - Alexander Mogilny’s goal was spectacular and his physical play surprising.
The combination was just what the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 Wednesday night and get back into the second-round playoff series.
Mogilny’s breakaway goal sparked a three-goal, second period spurt that helped Toronto cut the Flyers’ lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven matchup.
Alexei Ponikarovsky, Chad Kilger and Darcy Tucker also scored for the Leafs, but it was Mogilny that got all the credit.
“Here’s a man that I’ve watched for a long time, and he’s capable of a lot of things,” Toronto coach Pat Quinn said. “He can do most things in this game and do them well, including play physical. I have a lot of respect for him as an individual, as a team player and as a guy that leads.”
Mogilny delivered several big hits, including one on Danny Markov in the first period, that forced the Flyers defenseman to limp off the ice. Mogilny’s physical play spurred a shoving match in the third period with Jeremy Roenick that led to both earning roughing penalties.
Mogilny shrugged it all off, referring to it as being “playoff hockey.”
But he did note the significance of the Leafs victory.
“It’s big,” Mogilny said. “What do you think? We come home down 2-0. We lose this game, it’s pretty much over. We knew what was at stake.”
Game 4 is Friday in Toronto, where the Leafs have won four straight in the playoffs.
Suddenly it’s the Flyers’ turn to bounce back after appearing to lose their composure in the third period. Philadelphia was called for three penalties in a span of 1:26, including a slashing infraction to Marcus Ragnarsson for a two-handed chop across the back of Mogilny’s legs.
Tony Amonte scored a power-play goal for Philadelphia, which lost for only the second time in the postseason after needing only five games to eliminate New Jersey in the first round.
“Some of their guys that didn’t show up in Philadelphia had a bigger backbone tonight,” Roenick said. “But you have to give them a lot of credit. They were under the gun.”
Roenick said the blame for the loss rested on the Flyers.
“It was a couple questionable calls, but the referee wasn’t the reason we lost,” Roenick said. “We just didn’t respond to their push. They got some big games from big players.”
Philadelphia failed to score the first goal for the first time in this postseason.
Mogilny opened the scoring five minutes into the second. He was set up by Mats Sundin, who stripped Alexei Zhamnov of the puck in the Toronto end and then spun around to feed Mogilny on the fly at center.
Racing away from defender Sami Kapanen, Mogilny went to his forehand and beat goaltender Robert Esche on the stick side.
Mogilny’s goal came one game after he missed on a similar breakaway in Toronto’s 2-1 loss at Philadelphia on Sunday. The play-making forward snapped his stick in frustration after he missed a second scoring chance
All that changed Wednesday for the Maple Leafs.
Ponikarovsky scored 1:30 later by deflecting in Bryan McCabe’s pass, and Toronto went up 3-0 when Kilger redirected in a bouncing puck from a bad angle at 15:11. It was the first playoff goal for Ponikarovsky in 20 games.
It was an impressive offensive performance from the Maple Leafs, who had been sputtering all postseason. Besides managing just one goal in each of its first two games against Philadelphia, Toronto had scored just 16 goals in nine games.
“The first goal is definitely important, but it’s nice for Alex to get a goal and play the way he did tonight,” Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan Marchment said. “He was a force out there.”
Notes: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and union head Bob Goodenow attended the game together, a day before they are to conduct labor talks. The negotiating session will be the first since Oct. 1. ... Joe Nieuwendyk, leading Toronto with five playoff goals, missed his second straight game with a back injury. RW Wade Belak made his debut this postseason, replacing Tom Fitzgerald. ... Zhamnov had an assist on Amonte’s goal to extend his point streak to eight games (four goals, seven assists).
Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.