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RECAP
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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.
|  | | 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.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Carolina Clubhouse
Roundup: Cops cleared in handling of Lindros car crash
Brian's Barometer: Rumors hurt good teams
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
 Simon Gagne scores the game-winner for Philly.
avi: 662 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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