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Biron, Carter help Flyers edge Kings

Feb 26, 2009 - 4:34 AM PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Martin Biron made 34 saves to record his second shutout of the season as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 2-0, on Wednesday.

All-Star Jeff Carter scored a power-play goal late in the second period and assisted Simon Gagne's empty-netter for the Flyers, who have won five of their last six contests.

Erik Ersberg stopped 18 shots for the Kings, who played without captain Dustin Brown for the second straight game.

Brown, who ranks second on the club with 23 goals and 48 points, did not travel with Los Angeles because of the impending birth of his child.

Biron turned aside 12 shots in the first period, 13 more in the next and nine in the third to complete his 25th career blanking. Biron's only other shutout this season came on November 21 against his former team, the Buffalo Sabres.

"I don't know of too many teams that get to the playoffs with only one guy pulling the load," Biron said. "We try to push each other. Tonight, it just seemed to go my way and that is the way we want it to be."

"I met with both of the (goaltenders) earlier in the week and told them that they'd both get a chance to play and that we need them that they need to be our best players," Philadelphia coach John Stevens said. "I think the last two nights they have been."

Carter delivered a pass to Joffrey Lupul, who drove to the net and fired a wrist shot that Ersberg stopped. But Carter banged in the rebound with 3:49 left in the middle session for his team-leading 36th goal of the season.

"It was a strong play by Lupul driving to the net," Carter said. "I was just kind of hanging back looking for rebounds and I was able to knock it in."

"I tried to jam the puck from the goalline," Ersberg said. "I don't know if it he battled it out of the air, it landed on his stick. I really didn't have time to see where it went."

Gagne netted an empty-net goal with one tick to play to seal the win for Philadelphia (33-17-9), which pulled within four points of the Atlantic Division-leading New Jersey Devils (38-19-3).

"All these games right now are big points," Carter said. "We need everyone we can get. We were lucky to get two points."

The Flyers, who sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, also still have a game in hand on the rival Devils.