Kostopoulos' overtime goal lifts Canadiens over Flyers 4-3

[April 25, 2008]  MONTREAL (AP) -- Tom Kostopoulos scored 48 seconds into overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night in the opening game of their second-round series.

Kostopoulos put his own rebound past Martin Biron shortly after a faceoff in Philadelphia's zone for his third goal of the playoffs.

Alex Kovalev drew Montreal even with 28.6 seconds remaining in regulation, scoring a power-play goal off a faceoff with goalie Carey Price pulled for an extra attacker. Flyers center Jeff Carter's stick broke as he lost the faceoff to Saku Koivu, and Kovalev beat Biron with a shot into the top right corner.

The Flyers continue to have problems protecting leads. Philadelphia also blew two-goal leads in Games 1 and 6 of its first-round series against Washington, and lost both games.

Joffrey Lupul scored a power-play goal 19 seconds into the third to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead.

Lupul, who scored Philadelphia's series-winning goal in overtime Tuesday night in Washington, got his second of the playoffs -- after a brief video review -- when the puck came out of Price's glove and hit Lupul's hand before going into the net off the Flyers forward's skate.

Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau kept Price on the bench for a sixth attacker as Montreal began a power play in the Flyers' zone with 1:09 remaining after Philadelphia's Mike Richards was sent off for kneeing Kovalev.

The strategy ultimately paid off as Kovalev scored his third of the playoffs to send the game to overtime.

R.J. Umberger and Jim Dowd scored in the first to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

Andrei Kostitsyn and Kovalev tied it at 2 when they scored in the second for Montreal, which won all four meetings between the two teams during the regular season.

Price stopped 30 shots in the first playoff meeting between the teams in 19 years, the fifth Montreal-Philadelphia series overall.

Biron also made 30 saves.

Kostitsyn, who failed to score on a penalty shot 6:32 into the second, made the most of a second chance when he took a pass from his younger brother, Sergei, and put a shot over Biron's right arm for his fourth goal of the playoffs at 9:44.

Kovalev tied it with a short-handed goal at 16:03 that necessitated a lengthy video review.

Referee Don Van Massenhoven ultimately pointed to the faceoff circle to the delight of the sellout crowd of 21,273 after replays supported the on-ice call that Kovalev's stick had made contact with the puck below the level of the crossbar off a rebound of Tomas Plekanec's shot.

Biron raced from his crease to argue with Van Massenhoven near the blue line, to no avail.

The game had more than its share of odd goals, beginning with Philadelphia's first at 13:15.

Umberger got credit for his second goal of the playoffs when Montreal defenseman Patrice Brisebois deflected the Flyers forward's centering pass intended for Patrick Thoresen into the right side of the net.

Dowd, who played for Montreal late in the 2003-04 season, made it a 2-0 lead with his first goal of the playoffs when he drove a one-timer from the slot past Price at 16:49.

Notes: Flyers D Jaroslav Modry was not in the lineup for a third straight game and will return to the Czech Republic on Saturday to attend the burial of his father, who died last week after a seven-month battle with colon cancer. ... Philadelphia and Montreal met in the playoffs twice in the 1970s, and two more times in the 1980s. The Canadiens won a semifinal in 1973 and swept the Flyers in the 1976 finals. Philadelphia won a conference final against Montreal in 1987 and lost another in 1989. ... Dowd has eight career playoff goals.

[Associated Press; By DAVE GOLDBERG]

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