Lindros scores three vs. former teammates

NEW YORK (AP) -- Eric Lindros gave the Philadelphia Flyers yet another reason not to like him.

Lindros scored three goals against his former team, and the Rangers turned in a rare physical performance, holding on for a 6-5 victory over the Flyers on Saturday.

"We got into the physical game, taking the body and digging for pucks," Lindros said. "We've got to play like that more often, then we'll be in good shape."

The game featured 117 penalty minutes and much shoving, shouting and pushing. The Flyers also made it a nail-biter, scoring three times in the third period.

Lindros, as usual, wouldn't admit to any extra jump playing his old team.

"I was in the right spot at the right time," he said of his goals.

Lindros, who had scored just four times since sustaining his seventh concussion in late December, now has 26 goals and 53 points. He also won 21 of his 27 faceoffs.

Simon Gagne almost spoiled Lindros' afternoon, scoring three goals for Philadelphia, his last coming with 7:05 remaining to bring the Flyers within 6-5. But the Rangers held on to take the lead in the season series, 2-1, with two games to go.

Flyers coach Bill Barber was mystified by the game's "wacky" mix of fist fights and scoring spurts.

"Everytime we come in here we get a little goofy," he said.

While Barber told his team on Friday to stay calm, Rangers coach Ron Low preached intensity and toughness.

"We won because we were physical," he said. "Did they force us into it? Might be they did. But we have to take the initiative in our building."

Gagne, who had his first hat trick, admitted the Flyers felt out of sorts.

"There was a lot of frustration. There were a lot of penalties," he said. "It's a game we have to expect against the Rangers, but it's not the way we want to play."

Gagne took a costly tripping penalty with 1:49 left, and when Lindros learned the Rangers would have the man advantage, he pumped his fist.

Lindros first showed how much the game meant when he put the Rangers up 1-0 with a crafty tip-in at 11:29 of the first period, pumping his fist furiously.

Theo Fleury added a power-play goal at 15:25 of the period, but Lindros broke it open in the second, scoring twice in a 19-second span for a 4-0 lead.

"For the first time in a long time, we frustrated the other team," Fleury said.

Lindros' second goal came on a power play when he redirected in a slap shot by Mike York at 1:53. At 2:12, he completed his hat trick on a one-timer after York pounced on a bad pass by Jeremy Roenick.

"Awesome," Fleury said. "The first goal was a typical Eric goal. He banged it in. The second was a tip in and the last one -- he got everything on that one."

York and defenseman Brian Leetch each had three assists, and Radek Dvorak added a short-handed goal for the Rangers.

Eric Desjardins and Roenick scored on the Flyers' first two shots of the third period, closing within 5-4 on Roenick's goal at 3:20. But Dave Karpa gave New York another two-goal lead with his first goal of the season at 6:48.

Gagne's third goal made it tight again.

"The emotion was building and building and building," Roenick said. "We just didn't have the minutes to catch them."

The Flyers lost goalie Roman Cechmanek with 7:10 left in the first period when he sprained his right ankle. His replacement, Brian Boucher, was thrown into a nearly impossible situation -- having to immediately face a flurry of shots at the tail end of New York's 5-on-3 advantage.

"It was a nightmare," Boucher said after stopping 15 of 20 shots. "I didn't have time to get ready. Maybe I wasn't ready coming off the bench today, but I'd better be ready next game."

New York's Michal Grosek, recalled Friday to help ease the loss of Mark Messier, was placed on the team's top line and was a big factor in Lindros' success.

"Eric's a big strong guy, I'm a big strong guy," said Grosek, 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds. "It's easier to operate with two big guys on the line because we give each other room."

Game notes
X-rays on Cechmanek were negative. ... Philadelphia right wing Ruslan Fedotenko left the game with a knee sprain after a hit by Tomas Kloucek. He is day-to-day. The Rangers killed the ensuing five-minute penalty, during which Dvorak scored. ... Sarah Hughes, the 16-year-old Olympic gold medalist in women's figure skating, dropped a ceremonial puck before the game. From the age of 7 until two years ago, Hughes skated between periods of Rangers games. ... The annual hockey game between the NYPD and FDNY followed the game. The game, which issued separate tickets, was sold out.