Stanley Cup Playoffs : Kerr, Smith Help Flyers Tie Series With Penguins

Tim Kerr and Derrick Smith each scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-2, Thursday night and tied their Stanley Cup playoff series at three games apiece.

The Flyers and Penguins meet Saturday night at Pittsburgh for the Patrick Division title. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup semifinals, beginning Monday night at Montreal.

The Flyers, who shut down Pittsburgh star Mario Lemieux, scored two first-period goals, and twice answered after Pittsburgh came within a goal at 2-1 and 3-2 in the second period.

The Flyers took a 2-0 first period lead on Kerr’s 13th and 14th goals of the playoffs, including nine in this series. Kerr beat goalie Tom Barrasso high to the glove side from the top of the slot at 4:28 for a 1-0 lead. He took a pass from behind the net by Mike Bullard.

Kerr’s second goal came at 18:22 on a deflection of a shot by Mark Howe from just inside the blue line.

The Penguins cut it to 2-1 at 2:18 of the second period on a power-play goal by Randy Cunneyworth. Cunneyworth followed his shot off the boards to beat Flyer goalie Ron Hextall, who misplayed it as he slipped to the ice at the side of the net.

But the Flyers struck back 70 seconds later as Smith scored from the right of the crease.

Less than two minutes later, at 5:24, the Penguins’ Dan Quinn faked a shot and passed to Cunneyworth, who pushed it past Hextall’s stick side to make it 3-2.

Then, the Penguins got a bad break. Ron Sutter was credited with a goal at 8:40 that made it 4-2. Actually, Sutter dumped the puck in front of the net to Brian Propp, and Pittsburgh’s Rod Buskas tipped it in.

Smith’s second goal increased the lead to 5-2 with 59 seconds left in the second period. Smith put a shot between Barrasso’s pads after taking a pass from behind the net by Scott Mellanby.

Propp scored the Flyers’ final goal, his 11th of the playoffs, with 64 seconds to play.