Devils Can’t Keep Flyers Down

Just when the adversity seemed too big to overcome, the Philadelphia Flyers found a way--again.

After coming back from cancer, concussions, the Eric Lindros mess and a two-game deficit to Pittsburgh, the Flyers pulled off another great escape, overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, Tuesday night.

Rick Tocchet, turning in one of the biggest games of his career, scored two goals, set up another and was directly involved in Daymond Langkow’s game-winner as the Flyers evened the Eastern Conference finals at one game apiece.

“Whether we win or not, this team is special, I don’t care what happens from here on out,” Tocchet said. “Like I said, the stuff that has gone on here, it’s amazing what these guys have done. It could be a nice story.”

To recap, Flyer Coach Roger Neilson was diagnosed with cancer in February and replaced by Craig Ramsay. Lindros, the superstar center, hasn’t played since March because of a concussion and later was stripped of his captaincy for criticizing team doctors. Keith Primeau got a concussion. Philadelphia had to rally from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Penguins in the last round.

And now this remarkable rally against the Devils, a team that was playing its best hockey since winning the Stanley Cup in 1995.

The series shifts to the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J., for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Saturday. New Jersey is 22-4-2 against Philadelphia in the building over the last five years, and only the Flyers’ latest gut check in the face of adversity prevented the Devils from going home up 2-0.

Tocchet, acquired in a trade with Phoenix March 8, prevented that by orchestrating a three-goal outburst in a 2:37 span that bridged the end of the second period and start of the third. Goalie Brian Boucher made the lead stand, making two saves in the final 35 seconds.

“For about a five-minute segment we lost our composure and played Flyer hockey instead of Devil hockey, pushing and shoving, gloves in the face,” Devil Coach Larry Robinson said.

With the Devils leading, 3-1, late in the second period, Tocchet single-handedly turned the series around. He set up Eric Desjardins’s goal with 38.8 seconds left in the period, scored 1:06 into the third and then went to the net and forced in Langkow’s game-winner off the back of defenseman Colin White at 1:58.

The big play was Desjardins’ goal. After New Jersey killed off a rare penalty, former Devil Valeri Zelepukin won a battle along the boards and Tocchet got the puck low in the left circle. He saw Desjardins sneak in from the right point and sent a perfect cross-ice pass that the defenseman redirected into an open net.

Tocchet tied it 66 seconds into the third period after taking a no-look pass from Primeau from behind the goal line. The game-winner came 52 seconds later and, at first, it appeared Tocchet had his first career playoff hat trick. He crashed the net on Langkow’s slap shot and the puck caromed into the net. Tocchet was initially given credit for the goal and the game was delayed five minutes as hundreds of hats were thrown on the ice.

Replays showed the puck went in off the back of White.