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Gagne, Carle propel Flyers past Hurricanes

Nov 27, 2008 - 4:08 AM RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) -- Simon Gagne recorded two goals and an assist and defenseman Matt Carle snapped a tie 2:05 into the third period as the Philadelphia Flyers extended their season-high winning streak to six games with a 3-1 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Antero Niittymaki finished with 27 saves for Philadelphia, which won six straight for the first time since October 30-November 12, 2005.

The Flyers have allowed just 11 goals during their surge.

Chad LaRose tallied and Cam Ward turned aside 24 shots for Carolina, which has lost three in a row.

"Every night seems to be a different set of circumstances, but tonight, there was clearly a reason - we played the first period like a game of pond hockey," Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette said. "They got opportunities. We got nothing. That was the reason tonight."

The teams will meet again on Friday.

With the teams tied at 1-1 early in the third period, rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa thwarted a 2-on-1 advantage for the Hurricanes by intercepting a cross-slot pass. The Flyers gained possession of the puck and quickly gained a 3-on-1 advantage. Gagne alertly fed Carle, who unleashed a shot that beat Ward just under the crossbar for his second goal of the season.

"There was a lot of room out there from the 3-on-3 and I was actually going to the bench for a change and the puck got turned over - and I tried to see if I could get in the play," Carle said. "Simon (Gagne) made a good play and the goalie was out of position, and I jut tried to get the shot off as quick as possible."

"I don't try to think too much and do what my instincts tell me," Sbisa said of his defensive play. "I just tried to step out and intercept the pass."

Gagne, who capped the scoring with one second to go with an empty-net tally, opened the scoring just 5:52 into the first period after he collected a puck on the doorstep and swept it past Ward. The Quebec native has 13 goals on the season.

"He's a consistent producer right now playing in a lot of key situations," Flyers coach John Stevens said of Gagne. "I known he had a couple of goals there, but he had a lot of offensive opportunities. I think that line has been terrific. Obviously, he's putting up numbers.

"He's in his late 20s now, he's in the prime of his career. It's good to see him playing at a high level."

LaRose leveled the contest just 1:52 into the second with his third goal in as many games. The 26-year-old wristed a shot in the slot past Niittymaki for his seventh tally of the season.

"I think you can throw film out the window," LaRose said. "I think it's execution and energy and heart and downright gritty work is where you're going to get it done. (We need to be) digging in and putting your nose to the grindstone and getting your work in there."

Fortunately for Philadelphia, that was all Carolina could muster on Niittymaki.

"It felt awful there at first," Niittymaki said. "I couldn't feel the puck at all. They only had one shot on net and they're a pretty offensive-minded team. You knew it was going to come sooner or later. You have to be ready for it."

"Niitty (Niittymaki) has been playing well for us," Stevens said. "He's out of the net for some stretches there, and he has the ability to come in and win us games. This is a tough game to win here. Carolina has been struggling a little bit. They came hard and Niitty stood tall there and won us a hockey game."