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Flyers continue success on the road, beat Wild

Dec 6, 2007 - 5:17 AM By Anthony Maggio PA Sportsticker Contributing Writer

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (Ticker) -- Defenseman Braydon Coburn was getting ready for a shift change. Instead, his first goal of the season iced a victory for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Coburn's shot from behind the blue line whizzed past an unsuspecting Niklas Backstrom four minutes into the third period, and the Flyers ended the Minnesota Wild's four-game winning streak with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night.

Scottie Upshall and Jeff Carter each had a goal and an assist, Denis Tolpeko set up a pair of tallies and Antero Niittymaki made 29 saves for Philadelphia, which won for the fourth straight time on the road.

"We just came out on the road and played a really simple game and executed really well," Flyers captain Jason Smith said of his club, which has sparkled on the road but gone 0-3-2 in its last five at home. "We haven't been making the errors we've been making at home. We're just playing simple, getting the puck out of our zone and getting it deep in the offensive zone."

Pavol Demitra scored the lone goal for Minnesota, which saw the wind taken out of its sails on Coburn's goal and its three-game home winning streak come to an end.

"Everyone felt at that time we needed one shot, and we had plenty of time to get that shot and tie the game," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "It was not a good goal (to give up)."

"I was coming down and I was the only guy. They had two guys back, so I was just trying to get a shot on net," Coburn said. "It was lucky to go in. I think (Backstrom) just missed it. Really, I was just shooting on net."

The Wild thought they got on the board first in this one but had a power-play goal by Aaron Voros waved off less than three minutes into the game. The Flyers jumped in front shortly thereafter thanks to the pad of Backstrom.

Upshall took a pass from Carter in front of the net and put a shot shot just off the goalpost to Backstrom's glove side. The puck slowly slid back into the crease and behind Backstrom's left leg, with both teams scrambling to find it.

Backstrom was bumped in the process, jarring the puck loose and forcing it back into the net at 4:44, with Upshall getting credit for the goal.

The same trio struck again at 9:28 of the opening session to put the Flyers up, 2-0.

Tolpeko took a pass from Upshall along the boards to Backstrom's left and skated toward the blue line before firing a pass in front to Carter, who was alone on the doorstep. Backstrom lunged at the puck, but Carter pulled it back and backhanded it into an open net.

"They were great," Flyers coach John Stevens said of Carter's line. "I really thought that whole line was good. Upshall had good jump, Tolpeko played the game without fear that we love to see him play with."

The Wild began the second period with much more enthusiasm, and after Scott Hartnell's penalty 24 seconds into the session, they scored a power-play goal to halve the deficit.

Brian Rolston took a slap shot from the blue line that was just to Niittymaki's glove side. But Demitra was right there waiting and deflected it above the netminder's left leg at the 55-second mark, drawing Minnesota within 2-1.

But Coburn restored Philadelphia's two-goal advantage at 4:01 of the third period, when he fired a shot from behind the blue line that snuck over Backstrom's left shoulder and into the net.

"I'm sure that's one the goalie would like to have back," Stevens said. "You never know if it knuckled or deflected, it just found the top of the net. It's certainly one we'll take, but we felt fortunate it went in."

"Obviously I was happy it went in, but I felt bad for my fellow Finn there," Niittymaki said, referring to Backstrom.

Minnesota still had its chances later in the third, including a 5-on-3 advantage for more than a minute, but Niittymaki was up to the task, turning aside all nine shots he faced in the session.

"It was nice to know (I was starting) a couple days before. I had a chance to practice and mentally get ready," Niittymaki said. "It worked out pretty well."

Backstrom finished with 22 saves for Minnesota.