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Richards, Briere help Flyers gain crucial two points

Mar 30, 2008 - 4:17 AM UNIONDALE, New York (Ticker) -- For the second time in as many days, the Philadelphia Flyers earned a point late in the third period. But unlike Friday, they were able to secure the second one against the New York Islanders.

Mike Richards forged a tie late in the third period and Daniel Briere scored the lone goal of the shootout as the Flyers rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Islanders on Saturday.

Briere and Joffrey Lupul also tallied in regulation for Philadelphia (40-28-11), which pulled even in points with the idle New York Rangers (40-26-11) for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

"This might be our gutsiest effort of the year," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "We didn't go away."

"We played a team that has nothing to lose and we knew they wanted to be a spoiler," Briere said. "It was tough at the start, since we came off an emotional game (on Friday) with a lot of ups and downs, but we fought to the end. ... We found our legs in the second period, and we were fine from there."

Richard Park, Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen scored and Wade Dubielewicz made 51 saves for the Islanders, who went 1-6-1 in the season series against the Flyers.

"I can't pinpoint it," Dubielewicz said of his team's inability to beat Philadelphia. "We've been in a lot of tight games with them, and they just seem to get the breaks."

"I thought he was sensational tonight," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said of his goaltender. "He's a battler. He gave us a chance to win that game."

After Philadelphia managed to erase a 2-0 deficit early in the third, Nielsen gave the Islanders a 3-2 edge midway through the period.

The 23-year-old Dane got the puck in the neutral zone and skated across the ice and over the blue line before wristing a shot from the left faceoff circle inside the right goalpost at 10:19 for his second goal of the season. Nielsen was making his return to the lineup after missing 13 games with a shoulder injury.

However, after scoring in the final minute of the third in a 5-4 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Friday, the Flyers got another late tally in this one to secure at least one point.

Following a faceoff in the left circle, Patrick Thoresen chased down the loose puck in the corner and fed Richards, who converted from the doorstep with 4:22 left, knotting the contest at 3-3.

It was the third huge goal in five games by the All-Star, who netted the decisive tally in a shootout win over the Rangers on March 21 and scored the winner in overtime against the club four days later.

Richards' line was great tonight," Stevens said. "Richie's been taking it upon himself to make a difference."

After a scoreless extra session in this one that saw the Islanders fail to convert a pair of power-play opportunities, neither team was able to score in the first two rounds of the shootout.

Antero Niittymaki, who finished with 27 saves, got his right pad in front of Park's backhander in the third round, setting the stage for Briere.

"I've been practicing a lot of breakaways this season, so I was ready for the shootout," Niittymaki said. "I felt good out there."

"(Niittymaki) was good for us when he needed to be and made saves he needed to make," Richards said.

Briere rushed down the slot and waited for a moment before putting a backhander past Dubielewicz to clinch the victory.

"It wasn't my prettiest move," Briere admitted. "I kind of fanned on the puck."

With the loss, Dubielewicz fell to 4-1 lifetime in shootouts.

"I knew I hadn't lost in a shootout, but I only had four, so it wasn't too hard to keep track," he said.

Park opened the scoring with 5:01 remaining in the first period. Niittymaki misplayed a dump-in, which caromed off the end boards to the left of the net and past the Finn to the front, where Park slapped it in for his 11th of the season.

The Islanders took a 2-0 lead at 7:43 of the second, when Comeau received a return pass across the slot from Park and fired the puck into a vacant net from low in the left circle. But Briere cashed in during a power play with 4:36 left in the period, beating Dubielewicz from the left circle for his 31st goal of the campaign and fifth in as many games.

Lupul forged a 2-2 tie at 3:22 of the third, wristing a shot from low in the left circle that glanced off Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek and in.

Thoresen registered two assists for Philadelphia, which set season highs for most shots in a period by recording 23 in the second and total shots (54).

"In the second, they brought everything they had," Dubielewicz said. "It was pretty tough to hold them back."

"It was encouraging that we had opportunities, even if a lot of them didn't go in," Richards said.