PHILADELPHIA -- Patrik Elias scored the tying and winning goals in the New Jersey Devils' 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
Elias scored the winner at 2:46 of the extra period. He stole the puck in the slot, split two defenders and then put a backhander through goalie Martin Biron's pads.
Elias tied it with 1:30 left in regulation with a slap shot from just inside the blue line that trickled off Biron's midsection into the net.
Scottie Upshall gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead on a fluke play at 15:32 of the third period. His centering pass bounced off New Jersey defender Bryce Salvador into the net.
Zach Parise added a goal and an assist for the Devils, who have won six of their last seven games. Kimmo Timonen scored for the Flyers, who have been unbeaten in regulation in their last six home games (4-0-2).
This was the first game the Flyers faced the Devils without Martin Brodeur since Feb. 27, 2002 at New Jersey. Philadelphia won 1-0, with John Vanbiesbrouck in net for the Devils. Brodeur is out for at least three months with a biceps injury. Full story
Panthers 2, Sabres 1
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Craig Anderson made 45 saves, and Gregory Campbell and Keith Ballard scored 35 seconds apart in the second period in the Florida Panthers' win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Campbell scored for the third consecutive game and also had an assist for the Panthers. Florida has won three in a row and is 4-0-2 in its last six.
Ales Kotalik scored for Buffalo. The Sabres have lost eight of their last 10 and have scored only 19 goals during their slide.
Ryan Miller made 23 stops for Buffalo, which outshot Florida 46-25. Anderson, a backup making his fourth consecutive start in net because of his strong play, came within eight minutes of his third shutout of the season.
Predators 3, Avalanche 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vernon Fiddler, Shea Weber and David Legwand scored first-period goals, and Pekka Rinne made 19 saves in the Nashville Predators' win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski had first-period scored goals for Colorado.
The Predators are 7-0-0 when leading after the first period and 10-2-0 when scoring the first goal. They're also 8-1-0 when Weber scores.
Wade Belak sent a bouncing pass across ice that Fiddler got control of on the left side of the ice. He skated across the goalmouth and backhanded a shot past goalie Peter Budaj at 5:15 of the first period.
Capitals 5, Islanders 2
WASHINGTON -- Desperate for firepower, the injury-laden Washington Capitals received an offensive boost from the unlikeliest source.
Enforcer Donald Brashear scored his first goal of the season with 13:10 left to snap a tie, and the Capitals went on to beat the New York Islanders.
Brashear, a rugged winger known more for his fighting than his skating, had gone 37 games without a goal before giving Washington a 3-2 lead. After teammate Karl Alzner drove the puck off the backboards, it bounced crazily toward the crease. Brashear tapped it into the net before goalie John MacDonald could smother it.
Eric Fehr added a power-play goal with 3:46 to go, and Nicklas Backstrom scored into an empty net with 50 seconds remaining.
