Primeau's 3 goals overpower Toronto



Philadelphia grabbed a 3-2 series lead.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Keith Primeau did a lot more than just tell his teammates how to rebound from two straight losses. He showed them.
Primeau had three goals, and Michal Handzus scored twice to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 7-2 victory over Toronto on Sunday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Philadelphia can win the series in Toronto on Tuesday night. If necessary, Game 7 would be Thursday in Philadelphia.
Primeau, the Flyers' captain, addressed his teammates in a closed-door meeting Saturday. He responded with the best playoff performance of his 14-year career.
"We were plodding along in a series that we had control of," Primeau said of the losses in Games 3 and 4. "We had to get back to skating and getting to the net. Tonight, we did that and because of that we got rewarded and got a win."
Pain
The Flyers also have a pair of mysterious injuries.
Goalie Robert Esche and defenseman Vladimir Malakhov left after the first period with what coach Ken Hitchcock would only term "upper-body injuries."
"One we don't have a clue on," Hitchcock said. "We still need some evaluation before we can tell you what it is. The other one, we aren't even sure how to describe it."
Hitchcock said the extent of the injuries would be made known today.
After being outplayed in two losses in Toronto, the Flyers dominated from the start, taking a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes and holding the Maple Leafs without a shot until the final minute of the first period.
Mark Recchi and Branko Radivojevic also scored for the Flyers.
Sean Burke, a 16-year veteran in his second stint with Philadelphia, stopped eight of nine shots in relief of Esche.
"That was as tough going into a game as I have felt in my career," said Burke, acquired on Feb. 9 for Phoenix, one week after Esche sprained his knee. "That was definitely playoff pace."
Belfour shelled
Toronto goalie Ed Belfour allowed six goals on 18 shots, before being replaced by Trevor Kidd less than four minutes into the second period.
Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts scored for Toronto.
"I don't know where to start," Leafs captain Mats Sundin said. "Before the game, there was no doubt we were mentally and physically prepared."
Primeau's first goal came on a short-handed breakaway with 1:06 remaining in the first. He scored his second on another breakaway early in the second frame.
Primeau made it 7-2 early in the third period with his fifth goal of the playoffs. He entered the game with just 11 playoff goals in 119 games.
"That was an unbelievable performance by Preems," Flyers forward Jeremy Roenick said. "In a game like this, you have to look at your captain to come through in big ways. He was a lot of fun to watch tonight."
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