PHILADELPHIA, 27 April 2004 — Robert Esche made 26 saves and Alexei Zhamnov scored the game-winner in the third period, helping the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Sunday for a 2-0 series lead.
After going winless in his last four regular-season starts, Esche has elevated his play in the NHL postseason, winning six of seven in the playoffs, while allowing just 11 goals on 205 shots.
In the other Eastern Conference semifinal, Tampa Bay beat Montreal 3-1 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Despite getting captain Mats Sundin back, the Leafs couldn’t generate much offense, getting their only goal from Tie Domi.
With a two-day layoff before tomorrow’s Game 3, the Maple Leafs have time to rest and regroup. They’ll need it, as the Flyers have never lost a best-of-seven series in which they won the first two games, going 16-0.
Donald Brashear also scored for the Flyers. Zhamnov put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal with 11:35 remaining. His shot from the side of the net trickled between Ed Belfour’s legs.
Esche made several outstanding saves, especially in the second period when the Flyers were outshot 11-1. He preserved the lead by stoning Clarke Wilm on a point-blank breakaway shot late in the third period. In the second period, Esche fell to the ice into a seated position and robbed Chad Kilger with a glove save. Esche kept it at 1-all with a kick save on a one-timer by Alexei Ponikarovsky early in the third period.
While Esche has been superb, Belfour had another subpar effort. He stopped 22 shots. Belfour, the only goalie still in the postseason who has won a Stanley Cup, had an excellent first-round series against Ottawa, tying an NHL record with three shutouts.
Sundin, Toronto’s leading scorer in the regular season, returned to the lineup after missing four games with a leg injury. But center Joe Nieuwendyk sat out with an undisclosed injury. Also, Owen Nolan remained sidelined with a knee injury.
For the Flyers, defenseman Kim Johnsson was scratched for the second straight game with a broken bone in his right hand. Domi tied it at 1 in the second period with his seventh playoff goal in 94 games.
Lightning 3 Canadiens 1: At Tampa, Florida, Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 26 shots and Vincent Lecavalier scored two goals for the second straight game for the Lightning. Khabibulin improved to 6-1 in the playoffs, and the top-seeded Lightning took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Fredrik Modin also scored for Tampa Bay, which won its fifth straight game. Saku Koivu scored Montreal’s first goal of the series in the second period.
