NHL Roundup : Flyers Best Goalie Stops Jets, 3-1

After the tragic death early last season of Pelle Lindbergh, Bob Froese was forced to carry a heavy load as the new No. 1 goaltender of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Froese did so well he won the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the National Hockey League.

This season, Froese isn’t even the best goaltender on his own team.

Rookie Ron Hextall has taken over as No. 1 and he is standing the league on its ear.

Hextall stopped 29 shots Sunday night at Philadelphia to lead the unbeaten Flyers (5-0) to a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets.

The 22-year-old goalie, who was born in Winnipeg, is 4-0 and has given up just six goals, stopping 117 of 123 shots.

Ilkka Sinisalo scored twice to give Hextall a working margin. The rookie lost his shutout with less than six minutes left in the game when Dale Hawerchuk lifted the puck over Hextall’s shoulder.

Coach Mike Keenan started Hextall in the season opener against the high-scoring Edmonton Oilers as a reward for working so hard in the exhibition season. When he beat the Oilers, 2-1, he earned another chance. At the moment, at least, he’s No. 1 in the league.

N.Y. Rangers 2, N.Y. Islanders 2--Paul Flatley took an outlet pass from Denis Potvin with just under six minutes left at New York and skated in to score the goal that gave the Islanders a tie.

Flatley’s second goal of the season enabled the Islanders to avoid back-to-back losses to their rivals. The Rangers won 3-2 Saturday night at Uniondale.

The Islanders paid dearly for the absence of scoring leader Mike Bossy, out with a back injury. In the absence of their sharpshooter, the Islanders converted only one of 14 power-play opportunities in the two games.

They were 0 for 8 in this one.

Minnesota 8, Chicago 5--Defenseman Ron Wilson assisted on two power-play goals in the first period at Chicago, then scored on a 65-foot shot in the second period to lead the North Stars.

Four of the eight goals the North Stars scored were on power plays. The Black Hawks also scored four times when they had a man advantage, but only once when the sides were equal.

It was the second win in a row for Minnesota after going winless in its first three games.