Monday, April 26, 2004
Robert Esche had 26 saves and Alexei Zhamnov scored the game winner.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Robert Esche is showing he can carry a team in the playoffs, which is no surprise to his teammates.
Esche made 26 saves and Alexei Zhamnov scored the game-winner midway through the third period, helping the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 on Sunday night to take a 2-0 series lead.
After going winless in his last four regular season starts, Esche has elevated his play in the postseason, winning six of seven in the playoffs, while allowing just 11 goals on 205 shots.
"I knew this was how he could play," Flyers forward Mark Recchi said. "We believed he could play like this. He has matured as a person and a goalie in the time he's been here."
Leafs have no offense
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 Wednesday'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-7 series in which they won the first two games, going 16-0.
"I feel that if we go home and bring smarts and energy to the same game plan, we'll get a good result," Toronto forward Tom Fitzgerald said.
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.
A 12-year veteran acquired in a deal on Feb. 19, Zhamnov has four goals and six assists in seven playoff games, tripling his career playoff point total.
"He saved our season when he came," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We were in dire straits. He has fit in great."
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.
"He was unbelievable," Recchi said.
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.
"You always like to field what you think is your best lineup, and that hasn't been the case for us for much of the year," Toronto coach Pat Quinn said.
For the Flyers, defenseman Kim Johnsson was scratched for the second straight game with a broken bone in his right hand.
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