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Flyers, Canadiens continue climb up standings

Nov 1, 2007 - 2:04 PM Philadelphia (7-3-0) at Montreal (6-2-3) 7:30 pm EDT

MONTREAL (Ticker) -- Two teams near the top of the Western Conference standings face off on Thursday when the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Montreal Canadiens.

After winning six of their first seven games, the Flyers, who are leading the Atlantic Division, had lost back-to-back contests before getting back on track with a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Saturday.

Defenseman Randy Jones was suspended for two games on Monday for his violent hit during the game on Boston's Patrice Bergeron, who had to be carried off on a stretcher after hitting the boards head-first.

Having Bergeron on the ice would not have helped much as Flyers goaltender Martin Biron had one of his best games this season, making 38 saves - 31 in the final two periods.

Biron, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres during last season, has posted a 7-2-0 record with a 1.78 goals-against average in his first full campaign with Philadelphia.

For his career, Biron is 12-6-0 with a 2.04 GAA and two shutouts against the Canadiens.

Montreal absorbed a 3-2 setback to the Atlanta Thrashers in its last game on Tuesday, snapping a season-high four-game winning streak.

The Canadiens scored both of their goals on Tuesday with a man advantage, and continue to dominate on the power play. Montreal ranks first in the NHL in power-play percentage, finding the back of the net on 30.2 percent of its opportunities.