NHL Roundup : Flyers Turn Loss Into Net Gain, 5-3

When 51-goal scorer Tim Kerr went out with a knee injury March 8 in a game against Washington, the Philadelphia Flyers thought they had lost their offensive punch.

The injury has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In the absence of their scoring leader, the other Flyers have stepped up the pace on offense.

With Murray Craven and Doug Crossman scoring short-handed goals Sunday at Philadelphia, the Flyers whipped the New York Islanders, 5-3, to strengthen their grip on first place in the Patrick Division.

In the four games without Kerr, the Flyers have scored 27 goals. They have been scored by 13 different players.

In the game in which Kerr was injured, the Flyers were battling to catch the division-leading Capitals. After he was hurt, the Flyers scored twice more, won the game and suddenly they are pulling away from the pack, six points in front.

The Flyers got goals from five different players in the win over the Islanders, but the star of the game was Ilkka Sinisalo, the Finnish star who set up both short-handed goals. Halfway through the first period with the Flyers holding a 1-0 lead, Sinisalo intercepted a pass and went in with Craven on a 2-and-0 break. Craven missed the net, but Sinisalo retrieved the puck and this time Craven scored.

“On the second one, I dug it out of the corner,” said Sinisalo, who has four goals since Kerr was hurt, “and Crossman made an excellent shot. But my primary purpose is to kill off the penalties. The scores were just big bonuses.”

Rookie Coach Mike Keenan, who recently expressed the fear his team might be peaking too early, was impressed.

“I think it’s one of the most encouraging signs on our hockey club,” he said. “Many guys have taken on offensive responsibility. It’s important that everyone gains confidence from it, and also that they can make the assumption they can score.”

Coach Al Arbour, who was just beginning to think his Islanders were rounding into top form for the playoffs, was disgusted.

“I guess a lot of our players don’t like 2 o’clock games because most of them didn’t show up,” he said. “Only five players really played for us. Giving up two short-handed goals is ridiculous.”

Islanders’ goalie Billy Smith blamed himself. “We lost because I had a bad game,” he said. “The team played well in front of me, but I didn’t play well enough to win.”

Winnipeg 5, Buffalo 3--Thomas Steen and Paul MacLean scored three minutes apart late in the game at Winnipeg to climax a four-goal rally that carried the Jets to victory.

The Sabres, needing a win to move into first place in the Adams Division, held a 3-1 lead behind the steady play of goaltender Tom Barrasso. But the Jets put heavy pressure on the Sabres’ defense from the start of the last period.

Jim Nill drilled a 25-footer past Barrasso at 7:28 to cut the lead to a goal and three minutes later Dale Hawerchuk’s 46th goal tied the game. Steen fired from close range between Barrasso’s pads to break the tie with 6:34 left and MacLean made victory safe.

The Jets’ increased their lead over Calgary in the fight for second in the Smythe Division to five points.

New York Rangers 7, New Jersey 3--Peter Sundstrom and Don Maloney scored goals 19 seconds apart to highlight a five-goal second period at New York that carried the Rangers to victory. The victory gave the Rangers a five-point lead over Pittsburgh in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division.

The Rangers lost defenseman Barry Beck when he reinjured his right shoulder in a first period fight.

Hartford 4, Pittsburgh 3--Greg Malone had a goal and two assists to help the Whalers end their 13-game home winless streak. They had been 0-11-2 at Hartford.

Malone broke a 2-2 tie early in the period and assisted on Kevin Dineen’s goal late in the game that clinched the victory.

Chicago 6, Vancouver 4--Troy Murray scored two goals and assisted on another at Vancouver to pace the Black Hawks to the victory that put them just four points behind leader St. Louis in the Norris Division.

The Black Hawks fought back after Tony Tanti put the Canucks in front 17 seconds after the opening faceoff.