Joffrey Lupul

It's hard to say which was more remarkable - that the Flyers gave up 56 shots and won last night or that they found new ways to lose players to injury. Already reeling with the losses of Simon Gagne, who is recovering from a concussion, and Scottie Upshall, who sprained his right ankle, the Flyers lost two more wingers at the Air Canada Centre. This time, the injuries came at the hands of their own. Joffrey Lupul and Sami Kapanen left the ice during the first period of a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1. Joffrey Lupul, Flyers: Scored the overtime goal that sent the Flyers to Montreal. 2. Martin Biron, Flyers: Stopped 39 of 41 shots, including all 16 in the third period. 3. Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: Converted a turnover into the tying goal in second period.

The Phantoms extended their AHL winning streak to seven games last night with a 3-1 triumph over the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at the Wachovia Spectrum. The streak, which followed a pair of losses to start the season, is the team's longest since a similar seven-game run from Nov. 18 to Dec. 2, 2000. In last night's game, Cincinnati took an early 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period. The score came on a Joel Perrault power-play goal, assisted by Sheldon Brookbank and Joffrey Lupul, after 1 minute, 57 seconds of play.

Former Colorado player Chris Drury scored with 2:23 left and Martin Biron stopped 32 shots as the Buffalo Sabres beat the host Avalanche, 3-1, last night. The Sabres' Jean-Pierre Dumont added an empty-net goal with 58 seconds left. Buffalo's Ales Kotalik opened the scoring 2 minutes into the second period, redirecting Rory Fitzpatrick's shot from the left circle past Sauve on a power play for his third of the season. Alex Tanguay tied it with 5 minutes left in the period, lifting a shot just under the bar on a power play.

The losing, the chants and the lack of effort from the New York Rangers convinced Glen Sather it was time to start making changes - beginning with himself. Sather stepped down yesterday as coach of the Rangers, staying on as president and general manager and signaling that more changes lie ahead as the March 9 trading deadline nears. "There isn't anyone in the organization that has a no-trade in his contract, so I think when we get down to that stage we'll make some decisions," Sather said.

Dustin Penner and Joffrey Lupul scored twice for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who stayed alive in the Western Conference finals with a 6-3 victory over host Edmonton last night. Jean-Sebastien Giguere returned to the Anaheim goal for his first start since April 29 - a span of nine games - and made 20 saves as the Ducks extended the series and snapped the Oilers' seven-game winning streak. Anaheim trails 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 5 is at Anaheim tomorrow. "It was pretty hard.

Chad Kilger scored on a penalty shot with 6 minutes, 51 seconds remaining and Mikael Tellqvist made 21 saves in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 1-0 victory over host Pittsburgh that was delayed twice by power failures. Last night's blackouts came in the second period when the game was scoreless. Mellon Arena, which opened in 1961, is the NHL's oldest arena. Penguins president Ken Sawyer said there also was a small fire in the building, apparently related to the electrical outages.

Joffrey Lupul was under contract for another year, but Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said it made too much sense not to extend his deal. "We think he's got outstanding potential to become a very good player in this league," Holmgren said. "He's one of our core guys that we decided to lock up and keep him here a long time. " The Flyers did just that yesterday by signing the 24-year-old Lupul to a four-year extension, worth $17 million through the 2012-13 season. Lupul will make $2.3 million this coming season.

Thanks to flyershistory.com, here is a look at some of the most important trades the Flyers have made: Jan. 31, 1971: Acquired Rick MacLeish and Danny Schock (completion of Jan 21st trade) from the Boston Bruins for Mike Walton. May 15, 1973: Acquired the rights to Bernie Parent and a 1973 2d-round pick (Larry Goodenough) from the Toronto Maple Leafs for 1973 1st-round pick (Bob Neely) and future consideration (Doug Favell). Aug. 20, 1982: Acquired Mark Howe and 1983 3d-round pick (Derrick Smith)

After earning their fourth straight Southeast Division title, the Washington Capitals have their sights set on finishing first in the Eastern Conference. Mike Knuble scored in the fourth round of the shootout to lift visiting Washington to a 3-2 victory over Toronto last night after the Maple Leafs were eliminated from playoff contention. "We want to be in first everywhere, so it's nice," Capitals star Alex Ovechkin said of sewing up the Southeast. Ovechkin and John Erskine scored in regulation for the Capitals, with Ovechkin getting his 300th career goal in his sixth NHL season.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Flyers, facing an Anaheim team that was without high-scoring captain Ryan Getzlaf, could have moved into the Eastern Conference's top spot with a win Friday night. Instead, they squandered the opportunity, dropping a 5-2 decision to Anaheim at the Honda Center. The Flyers missed injured defenseman Chris Pronger more than the Ducks missed the injured Getzlaf. They got two goals apiece from Jason Blake and Lubomir Visnovsky, along with a single goal from former Cherry Hill resident Bobby Ryan.

Flyers Notes EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - It will seem a bit strange for several Flyers when they face Los Angeles on Thursday night and see John Stevens behind the host Kings' bench. Stevens, a Kings assistant, was the Flyers' head coach when many of the team's young, core players began their NHL rise. Flyers captain Mike Richards is one of those players. "It'll be good to see him again," Richards said after Wednesday's practice in suburban Los Angeles. "He and I went through a lot together and he really helped me along - and he's a big part of where I am today.

It's no secret that the center-heavy Flyers have lost a lot of offense from their wingers in the last two seasons. The departures of Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul, and Simon Gagne have left a void. Can it be filled? It better be, or the Flyers will be hard-pressed to match last season's success. The early returns are mixed. The positives: Ville Leino has started to shake off the rust caused by off-season hip surgery and seems to be regaining his 2010 playoff form.

In the 16 months since the Flyers traded Joffrey Lupul back to Anaheim - in Lupul's second career trade that involved Chris Pronger - the former Flyers fan favorite has played just 23 games for the Ducks. Not by choice. It has been 10 months since a routine back surgery to repair a herniated disk changed Lupul's life. Shortly after his surgery, Lupul, 27, came down with a rare and unnamed blood infection that has kept him off the ice since last December. "I never felt sick or anything like that," Lupul said in a phone interview.

CHICAGO - Last June 26, on draft day, the price seemed steep. Paul Holmgren shipped fan favorite Joffrey Lupul, budding star Luca Sbisa, two first-round picks and a third-round pick to Anaheim for 34-year-old defenseman Chris Pronger. Off the bat, Pronger was the next past-prime star for whom the Flyers overpaid. He was the next Paul Coffey, the next John Vanbiesbrouck, the next Adam Oates. The trade jolted most of the Flyers to their core, losing a best friend in Lupul.

Assuming that e-mails, letters and voice-mail messages have some value, it's fair to surmise that Ed Snider isn't Mr. Popularity in these parts. If his dismissive ways don't turn you off, perhaps it's the way he saunters around, appearing as if he has all the answers - with absolutely no championship hardware since the days when his hair was still brown. But if these Flyers pull off the unthinkable, recapturing a Stanley Cup once given to Philadelphia in a double dose 35 years ago, the fans can feel free to scream "We did it" all summer long.

So how did a team that won exactly half of its 82 regular-season games transform itself into a playoff beast? How did the Flyers, a team that has dressed seven goalies because of injuries this season, reach the Stanley Cup Finals, even though they needed a shoot-out win on the final day of the regular season to qualify for the postseason? Lots of character, lots of chemistry, lots of players raising their level at just the right time. The "sack of cement" weight of the critical regular-season finale being lifted has sparked the Flyers on their playoff run, coach Peter Laviolette hinted on Tuesday.

So how did a team that won exactly half of its 82 regular-season games transform itself into a playoff beast? How did the Flyers, a team that has dressed seven goalies because of injuries this season, reach the Stanley Cup Finals, even though they needed a shoot-out win on the final day of the regular season to qualify for the postseason? Lots of character, lots of chemistry, lots of players raising their level at just the right time. The "sack of cement" weight of the critical regular-season finale being lifted has sparked the Flyers on their playoff run, coach Peter Laviolette hinted on Tuesday.