Flyers Start Out New Year by Settling an Old Score

The Philadelphia Flyers used their first game of 2000 to get rid of some old problems.

The Flyers got two goals from John LeClair and ended an eight-game Long Island winless streak Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders.

“That’s way back in the 1900s,” Eric Lindros, who had a goal and two assists, said of the streak.

LeClair’s sixth two-goal game of the season gave the Flyers their first victory at Nassau Coliseum since April 2, 1996. They had been 0-6-2.

“You have to go out and win the game,” LeClair said. “You can’t worry about past history.”

The Flyers built their lead by taking advantage of the Islanders’ inability to kill penalties. Philadelphia was two for four on the power play, needing only 22 seconds to convert on its first opportunity. LeClair’s first goal made the score 2-1 Flyers in the first period and marked the sixth time in nine short-handed situations the Islanders yielded a score.

Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 3--Linemates Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka and Jan Hrdina each scored in the second period as the Penguins defeated the Red Wings at Pittsburgh.

Detroit’s unbeaten streak ended at 4-0-1 as the Penguins won for the fifth time in six games. The Red Wings lost for just the third time in 15 games.

Penguin rookie goalie Jean-Sebastien Aubin had a strong game, making 34 saves as he continues to fill in for injured Tom Barrasso.

San Jose 4, Chicago 1--Marcus Ragnarsson, Jeff Friesen, Marco Sturm and Patrick Marleau each scored as the Sharks defeated the Blackhawks at Chicago.

Goalie Steve Shields stopped 18 Blackhawk shots to earn his 14th victory. Chicago’s Jocelyn Thibault, who faced 38 shots, kept the game close until late goals by Sturm and Marleau one minute, four seconds apart.

New York Rangers 2, Montreal 2--Sylvain Lefebvre scored with 10:10 to play to give the Rangers a tie with the Canadiens at Montreal.

Lefebvre put a shot from the high slot between Jeff Hackett’s pads as the Rangers extended their winless streak to six games.

Calgary 4, Vancouver 2--Clarke Wilm had a short-handed goal and added an assist as the Flames defeated the Canucks at Calgary, Canada.

It was Wilm’s third short-handed goal of the season, tying him with New Jersey’s John Madden for the NHL lead.