Esche Does It Again, Flyers Edge Maple Leafs

First, Robert Esche outplayed Martin Brodeur. Now, he’s outperforming Ed Belfour.

Esche made 26 saves, and Alexei Zhamnov scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, helping the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1, Sunday night at Philadelphia to take a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals series is Wednesday night at Toronto. The Flyers have never lost a best-of-seven series in which they won the first two games, going 16-0.

“Esche seems like he’s on a mission of proving he’s the goalie of the future,” Flyer forward Jeremy Roenick said. “He’s in a zone.”

Esche has won six of his seven playoff starts, giving up only 11 goals in 205 shots. The 26-year-old Esche has bested two goalies who have won four Stanley Cups combined, including three championships for Brodeur, the New Jersey Devil goalie and reigning Vezina Trophy winner.

“These are two guys that have done it year in and year out, and are arguably the two best goalies of our time,” Esche said of Brodeur and Belfour. “I don’t look at it like I’m playing against them. I’m playing against their team.”

Despite getting captain Mats Sundin back, the Leafs couldn’t generate much offense, getting their only goal from enforcer Tie Domi.

Zhamnov put the Flyers ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal with 11:35 left. His shot from the side of the net trickled between Belfour’s legs.

Esche made several outstanding saves, especially in the second period, when the Flyers were outshot, 11-1. He preserved the lead by stoning Clarke Wilm on a point-blank breakaway shot late in the third period.

In the second period, Esche fell to the ice into a seated position and robbed Chad Kilger with a glove save. Esche kept it at 1-1 with a kick save on a one-timer by Alexei Ponikarovsky early in the third period.

Tampa Bay 3, Montreal 1 -- Nikolai Khabibulin and the Lightning are making it look easy against the Canadiens.

Khabibulin stopped 26 shots to improve to 6-1 in the playoffs, and Vincent Lecavalier scored two goals for the second straight game as the top-seeded Lightning beat the Canadiens at Tampa, Fla., to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Tampa Bay turned an early two-man advantage into a lead on Lecavalier’s power-play goal, assisted by Martin St. Louis and Dave Andreychuk, only 2:35 into the game.

Fredrik Modin scored on a rebound for a 2-0 lead, and Lecavalier made it 3-1 when he beat Montreal goalie Jose Theodore on a breakaway just before the end of the second period.