Philadelphia completes comeback

Associated Press

BOSTON

Simon Gagne and the Philadelphia Flyers put together one more dramatic comeback in a series full of rallies.

They got plenty of help from the Boston Bruins, who finished off another epic collapse with a penalty they’re all too familiar with.

Taking advantage of a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty, Gagne scored on a power play with 7:08 left to give Philadelphia a 4-3 victory Friday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Flyers overcame a 3-0 series deficit and trailed 3-0 in the first period before rallying to advance to the conference finals against Montreal.

The Bruins will be remembered for their colossal collapse. They’re only the third team in NHL history to lose a series after winning the first three games.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Flyers poured off their bench and surrounded goalie Michael Leighton, who held the Bruins scoreless in the last two periods after starting just his second playoff game for injured Brian Boucher.

At the same time as the Flyers celebrated, the yellow towels fans had waved to spur on the home team came floating to the ice, resting there as signs of frustration for a crowd that won’t need them until next season

The penalty, a throwback to 1979 when a penalty for too many men on the ice cost the Bruins dearly — just as it did against Philadelphia.

This one occurred with 8:50 left and Gagne, a major force since returning from a toe injury for Game 4, scored with 18 seconds left in a power play.