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Four-goal third period lifts Canadiens past Flyers

Oct 14, 2008 - 3:27 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Defensemen Roman Hamrlik and Mike Komisarek scored 44 seconds apart in the third period and Robert Lang tallied with 6:20 remaining in the session as the Montreal Canadiens recorded a 5-3 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

Steve Begin added an empty-net goal with 35 seconds remaining in the third period and Andrei Kostitsyn also tallied in the second session for Montreal, which exacted a small measure of revenge after the Flyers eliminated the Canadiens in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

"It's not a vendetta, it's hockey or sports in general," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "Every time you lose against a team - no matter what the sport - the next time you play them, you want to win."

Captain Mike Richards had a goal and an assist and Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne also scored for Philadelphia, which has lost its first two games of the season at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers dropped a 4-3 decision to the New York Rangers in their season-opener on Saturday.

"We kind of dug ourselves a hole tonight, and the other night too," Richards said. "It's good that we're not quitting, but why are we digging ourselves these holes?

"Hockey is a 60-minute game and with the teams that there are in the league now, the parity in the league with all the team having good players, you can't just play 45, 40 minutes of the game. You have to play whole 60 minutes or their team is going to win."

With Philadelphia holding a 2-1 advantage entering the third period, Hamrlik tied the contest just 78 seconds into the session after depositing a goal-mouth feed from Alexei Kovalev past Martin Biron for his second goal of the season.

Just 44 seconds later, Komisarek wristed a seemingly harmless shot toward net, but the puck deflected off the stick of Scottie Upshall and over Biron's left shoulder to give Montreal a 3-2 lead.

"Good things happen when you get the puck to the net," Komisarek said. "The forwards are always telling us that they are battling around the corners and around the net, and when you get the puck you got to get it to the net. I'll take the goal any day of the week."

"I had my stick in the lane and my first instinct was to knock the puck down," Upshall said. "It wasn't a heavy shot, but for some reason those tips never go the other way. They go into your net. It is something as a defensive player you need to watch out for."

Lang netted what proved to be the game-winner 11 1/2 minutes later, courtesy of a brilliant set up by Sergei Kostitsyn, who finished with two assists.

Carey Price, who had his troubles in the playoffs last season, recorded 29 saves for the Canadiens. The netminder went 3-0-0 with a 1.34 goals-against average against Philadelphia last season, but then went 1-3 with a 4.13 goals-against vs. the Flyers in the semifinals.

Pulled in the first period during his first start against the Rangers, Biron finished with 22 saves for Philadelphia.