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  Thursday, Mar. 9 7:30pm ET
Unlikely hero delivers winner for Flyers
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Stifling defense got the Philadelphia Flyers a win over the surging Washington Capitals.

After falling behind in the first-period, the Flyers scored three times and shut down the Capitals in a 3-1 victory Thursday night.

Brian Boucher, Joe Sacco
Philadelphia goalie Brian Boucher frustrated Joe Sacco and the Capitals all evening.
"The guys were right on them all night," rookie goalie Brian Boucher said after Philadelphia snapped Washington's six-game unbeaten streak. "They had great sticks in the lanes -- intercepting passes and breaking up plays and getting great body position."

Gino Odjick scored on a breakaway early in the third period to give Philadelphia the lead over the Capitals, who have the most wins (22) in the NHL since January.

Odjick took a pass from Valeri Zelepukin deep in the Philadelphia zone, skated in and beat Olaf Kolzig to the glove side with a backhander 2:45 into the period.

Eric Lindros added an insurance goal with five minutes left while the Flyers were on a 5-on-3 power play. Rick Tocchet added a second-period goal in his first game with the Flyers after being re-acquired Wednesday from Phoenix.

Chris Simon scored for the Capitals, winless in six games at Philadelphia. Washington entered the game on a 5-0-1 streak.

Boucher made a number of brilliant saves for the Flyers, who held a 33-18 shots advantage. Boucher grabbed a shot by Simon out of mid-air late in the first and made a juggling stop on Andrei Nikolishin's hard shot midway through the third.

"Washington has been playing well and maybe we caught them at a good time," said Boucher, who appears to have wrestled the starting goalie job from John Vanbiesbrouck. "But we did a great job defensively. We didn't run around and we contained them very well."

Philadelphia also solved Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig, 3-0-1 with a 1.77 goals-against-average in four starts.

"It was tough because Olaf played great," Washington forward Terry Yake said. "We just gave up too many quality chances."

Simon, playing in his 300th NHL game, put the Capitals ahead 1-0 at 12:03 of the first period with his team-high 23rd goal. He flicked the puck in from the goal mouth after taking a pass from behind the net from Ulf Dahlen.

"I felt like we beat ourselves," Simon said. "There were points in the game when we didn't play our system of getting the puck deep and forechecking."

Tocchet flipped in a rebound of his own shot on a power play with 2:44 left in the second to pull the Flyers even. Philadelphia leads the NHL with 65 power-play goals.

Tocchet, one of the most popular players during his first stint with the Flyers from 1984-1992, received a thunderous ovation after his 13th goal was announced.

"I think I left my legs in baggage claim at USAir," said Tocchet, who caught a 7:30 a.m. flight from Phoenix on Thursday.

Goal judge John Casey suffered cuts on his head with 14:15 left when the lights behind the Washington net were knocked to the ground after Lindros checked Dmitri Mironov into the boards.
 


ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard

Washington Clubhouse

Philadelphia Clubhouse


Flyers re-acquire Tocchet in trade with Coyotes


RECAPS
Ottawa 7
Pittsburgh 0

Philadelphia 3
Washington 1

Vancouver 2
St. Louis 2

Toronto 6
Calgary 2

Phoenix 5
NY Islanders 0

Los Angeles 3
NY Rangers 1

AUDIO/VIDEO
video
 Rick Tocchet scores in his first game back with the Flyers.
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