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BOX SCORE
NEW YORK (AP) -- Illness, injury and a 15-point deficit could not keep the Philadelphia Flyers from the top of the Eastern Conference.
|  | | Peter White contols the puck behind New York's net. |
Mark Recchi and Daymond Langkow scored second-period goals and rookie Brian Boucher made 15 saves Sunday as the Flyers captured
the Atlantic Division title with a 4-1 victory over the New York
Rangers.
Philadelphia rallied over the final eight weeks of the season to
overtake the New Jersey Devils and secure the top seed in the
conference. The Flyers needed only to avoid a regulation loss in
the season finale to finish first.
"You've got to catch some breaks along the way," said Craig
Ramsay, the Flyers' coach in the absence of Roger Neilson, who is
away from the team receiving cancer treatment. "Adversity drew us
together."
Philadelphia, with 105 points, won its first division title
since the 1995-96 season. It is the Flyers' highest point total
since 1985-86 when they had 110.
On March 13, captain Eric Lindros went out of the lineup with a
concussion. He questioned the team's medical treatment and caused
an organizational divide with Flyers management and some of his
teammates, who have called for him to apologize. He was stripped of
his captaincy by the team.
Neilson has been gone since late February and Lindros will be
out until at least the second round of the playoffs. Philadelphia
is 9-4-1 since Lindros' latest injury.
A collapse by the Devils closed the 15-point lead New Jersey
established after defeating the Flyers on Feb. 15. Philadelphia won
its final three games to clinch the title.
"You know, if you take care of yourself, good things are going
to happen. And that's what we did," said new captain Eric
Desjardins, who scored a third-period goal.
Philadelphia (45-25-12-3), which will face Buffalo in the first
round, earned home-ice advantage in every round it advances to at
least until the Stanley Cup finals.
Boucher, in 35 games, finished with a 1.91 goals-against
average, becoming the first rookie goalie since the 1950-51 season
to play at least 25 games and have an average under two goals. Al
Rollins of Toronto (1.77 in 40 games) and Terry Sawchuk with
Detroit (1.99 in 70 games) were the last to do it.
"It's exciting," Boucher said. "It's a team stat and I think
the guys realized in these last couple of games because they played
real hard for me.
"Fifty years is a long time and you only get one shot at being
a rookie."
Boucher, who won his 20th game Sunday, was chosen by Ramsay as
the playoff starter over veteran John Vanbiesbrouck. Boucher shut
out Boston at home Saturday.
For the second straight game, the Rangers played a goalie making
his first NHL start. Milan Hnilicka stopped 36 shots in his second
appearance, but it wasn't enough to keep New York from extending
its winless streak to nine (0-8-1).
"It's the end of a nightmare, that's for sure," said John
Tortorella, who coached New York's final four games after John
Muckler was fired. "The best thing to do is start looking ahead
because we're rock-bottom right now."
It is the Rangers' longest stretch without a win since an
11-game run from Dec. 9-31, 1990. New York will miss the playoffs
for the third straight year.
"It's very frustrating," said Petr Nedved, the Rangers' leading scorer with 68 points. "Everyone in this dressing room
would like to be in the playoffs."
Recchi gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead 45 seconds into the second
period, and 4:45 later, the Flyers grabbed a two-goal lead on
Langkow's 18th.
The Rangers (29-41-12-3) avoided their third straight home
shutout when Rob DiMaio scored his sixth in the final minute of the
second.
Desjardins made it 3-1 when he followed up a rebound and scored
his 14th with 9:03 left. Craig Berube closed the scoring with an
empty-net goal with 9.6 seconds remaining.
New York defenseman Kim Johnsson took a hit to the head in the first period and did not return. Also in the first, Philadelphia
defenseman Andy Delmore bruised his foot blocking a shot and saw no further action.
Theo Fleury and Kevin Hatcher, both season-long disappointments,
were scratched from the Rangers' lineup. Fleury was said to be out
with a knee injury.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Philadelphia Clubhouse
NY Rangers Clubhouse
Sabres get the point, slip into NHL playoffs
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Kieth Primeau feeds Mark Recchi for the goal.
avi: 1081 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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