Flyers Edge Devils, 4-3, to Gain a Slight Edge in the Playoff Race

The Philadelphia Flyers took a major step toward a third consecutive Atlantic Division title and home ice in the playoffs Tuesday night, beating the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, on late goals by Vaclav Prospal and Mikael Renberg at East Rutherford, N.J.

The victory gave them a four-point lead over the Devils in their Eastern Conference battle.

Prospal broke a 2-2 tie with 4:48 to play by beating Martin Brodeur with a backhander from the right circle that the goalie barely missed with his catching glove.

OTHER GAMES

Patrick Roy stopped 46 shots to lead Colorado over Hartford, 4-0, at Hartford. . . . Defenseman Sergei Gonchar returned early from a knee injury and scored two goals to lead Washington to a 3-2 victory over St. Louis at Landover, Md. . . . Goaltender Rick Tabaracci withstood an 18-shot opening-period barrage as Tampa Bay scored a 5-0 victory over Ottawa at Tampa.