NHL Roundup : Kerr Scores 4 Goals, but Propp Delivers the Big One for Flyers

Tim Kerr scored four goals Saturday night at Landover, Md., but Brian Propp had the big one. It was Propp’s goal with two seconds left that gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Washington has been threatening to run away with the Patrick Division, but the Flyers cut the Capitals’ lead in the division to nine points.

Kerr, who has scored four goals three times this season, put the Flyers ahead twice, only to have the Capitals fight back for a tie each time.

The Flyers almost traded away Kerr before the season started. After he scored 54 goals last season, the 25-year-old center wanted a big jump in salary. Just before the season opened the Flyers signed their shooting star to a long-term contract.

“I asked to be traded,” Kerr said. “I felt they didn’t have any confidence in me. After all, they told me, I had only scored 50 one time.

“I knew if I started slowly, the pressure would be on me. I was ready from the start and I’m giving them their money’s worth.”

Indeed, without Kerr, the Flyers would be in deep trouble. Before Saturday night, the Flyers had won only once in six games and were facing a challenge for second place from the New York Islanders.

Kerr has 43 goals and with 27 games remaining, seems certain to exceed 50 goals once again.

N.Y. Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 1--When the New York Islanders were winning four consecutive Stanley Cups, Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy were often called the best one-two punch in hockey.

With Trottier at center and Bossy at right wing, they made a star out of the player lucky enough to be on the left wing. But knee problems slowed Trottier last season and played a part in the Islanders’ failure to win their fifth title in a row.

This season, although Trottier has finally returned to health, the Islanders have struggled. Finally, in despair, Coach Al Arbour split up his brilliant pair.

Apparently, the split hasn’t hurt either and has helped the team. Each of them scored twice in this game at Uniondale, N.Y., and the Islanders breezed to their fourth consecutive victory.

Bossy, who needs only five more goals to reach 50 in all eight of his NHL seasons, has six goals and five assists in the last three games.

Edmonton 6, Minnesota 5--Wayne Gretzky failed to score a goal for the fifth time in six games in this tight battle at Bloomington, Minn., but the Oilers won again. They have lost only once in 11 games.

Gretzky did have two assists, one on Jari Kurri’s tying goal early in the third period. Less than a minute later Glenn Anderson knocked in the winning goal in a scramble in front of the net.

Buffalo 6, Calgary 1--Gil Perreault performed the hat trick at Buffalo and Tom Barrasso was brilliant in goal as the Sabres took over the lead in the Adams Division.

The Sabres have won six in a row and, in those six, Barrasso has given up only 10 goals.

Toronto 6, Montreal 2--Miroslav Frycer, the Maple Leafs’ only representative in Tuesday’s All-Star games, had a goal and two assists at Montreal to help the lowly Leafs knock the Canadiens out of a share of first place in the Adams Division.

St. Louis 4, Minnesota 2--Jorgen Pettersson scored two goals at St. Louis and the Blues, leaders of the Norris Division extended their unbeaten string to seven games (5-0-2).

Goaltender Mike Liut extended his scoreless streak to 136 minutes before Ken Solheim ruined his bid for a second shutout in a row with a goal six minutes into the last period.

Quebec 2, New Jersey 2--Glenn Resch stopped 33 shots at Quebec, but it was one of the two that he didn’t stop that upset the Devils’ goaltender. With less than six minutes left in regulation, Michel Goulet batted a bouncing puck past Resch for his 36th goal of the season to give the Nordiques a tie.

“Goulet’s goal was a lucky bounce,” Resch said. “I saw him coming in, so I went out to try and stop him. The puck hit me on the side and deflected into the net off my right arm.”

Chicago 6, Boston 5--Bob Murray scored on a power play with 6:18 remaining at Boston to give the Black Hawks the victory. Just 79 seconds earlier, Rick Middleton of the Bruins had tied the score by tipping in a shot by Butch Goring.

Goring scored the first goal of the game to start a three-goal Bruin outburst before the game was 5 1/2 minutes old. But the Hawks battled back and actually took the lead in the third period.

Hartford 2, New York Rangers 2--Reijo Ruotsalainen fired a 30-footer past SteveWeeks with 3:10 remaining at Hartford to give the Rangers a hard-earned tie. The Rangers, winless in their last six games, were held scoreless for 45 minutes.