Meszaros' goal lifts Flyers past Isles in OT

Associated Press The Flyers' James van Riemsdyk, center, and Claude Giroux, right, celebrate after a goal by van Riemsdyk in the second period of Thursday's game against the Islanders.

PHILADELPHIA -- Perhaps it was a good thing Chris Pronger wasn't watching when a surprisingly energetic New York Islanders team completed a comeback Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center. He might have slammed his aching hand against a wall or something.

As Pronger's right hand started to swell, his inclination to sprint back onto the ice finally started to deflate after a long, hard night, so he stayed in the locker room and wasn't watching a television when a scramble in the Flyers' zone resulted in a popped-up puck that in a confusing flash ended up as a game-tying goal with 27 seconds left in regulation.

"I didn't see the goal," Pronger said. "I still had my gear on, but I chose the better part of valor and decided not to. I really couldn't grip my stick very well."

But Andrej Meszaros, the big defenseman in there during the final chaotic seconds because Pronger wasn't, saw the Matt Martin goal and probably gripped his stick ever tighter. Instead of letting his guilt swell, however, Meszaros remained cool enough to unload a pretty wrist shot with 17 seconds left to play in overtime, beating Islanders goalie Al Montoya for a 4-3 Flyers victory.

Pronger, who under a newly revised NHL Code of Interview Conduct was tagged with an upper hand injury when a shot bounced off him with about six minutes left to play, passed a subsequent x-ray test and should be fine for the next Flyers game with an opponent headed for an early spring, Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

Meszaros, meanwhile, passed a real gutcheck after being victimized by a bit of bad luck when Martin scored his second goal of the game to get it into overtime.

"I'm not sure he knew where everything was," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said of the pop-up puck that eluded his defenseman. "The puck went up in the air. A player (Martin) turned around ... one turn, puts it on the ice and fires it. Things happen pretty fast out there."

While that plan may or may not have been repeating in his mind, Meszaros' make-up goal almost one full overtime period later actually happened pretty slowly, since Ville Leino took his time leaving several frustrated Islanders flopping and flailing to the ice.

The winning rush, not surprisingly, was set up by Claude Giroux, who burst up the ice and sent a pass ahead to rushing defender Matt Carle. He found Leino, who passed up a shot from the circle and turned slowly to see wide-open trailer Meszaros.

One winning wrist shot by the defenseman later, and all thoughts of game-tying goals were erased.

"It was nice patience by (Leino)," Meszaros said. "I saw the top corner, and it was the only shot I got, actually. That is the way I have been shooting in practice. I tried it, and it went in."

Also doing that for the Flyers were Mike Richards, whose goal at 1:58 of the second period countered a beauty of a first-period goal by the Isles' Frans Nielsen and kept alive a streak in which the Flyers have won in all (15) games in which Richards has scored. Also chipping in were James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter, both of whom scored off Giroux set-ups.

Officially, Giroux had two assists and was a plus-2 on the night. Unofficially, he played an effective hand in three of the four Flyers goals, was the only one creating when their other lines snoozed early, laid out Nielsen with a highlight film hip check in the first period and otherwise was altogether unbelievable.

"On both ends of the ice he was pretty incredible," van Riemsdyk said of Giroux. "He controlled the play whenever he was out there and he does what he does best. You know, we get used to seeing that from him all year long. He's having a great year."

"Last year really was his coming out party," Pronger said of Giroux. "This year he's kind of playing with that confidence. He's making plays and controlling the game, and if you watch him out there, he always wants the puck, always wants to make plays and be the guy in the position of making things happen."

Led by Giroux, the Flyers (40-15-6, 86 points) were on top of their offensive game more often than not Thursday, but they had to be. Going nowhere as usual, the Islanders (23-32-7, 53 points) are running out a lot of younger players, and that resulted in a run of six wins in eight games coming into Philly. So maybe there was a reason the Flyers didn't look altogether sharp despite their offensive intensity.

And maybe there was another reason - like a lack of fire right now.

"Defensively we were too loose, too casual," said Laviolette, indicating that a high comfort level with their No. 1 standing in the East - as opposed to their dangerously low standings spot a year ago -- might be at work there. "We need to be better than we were tonight. ... Last year we had desperation built-in to every game. I miss that."

Flyers 4, Islanders 3

N.Y. Islanders 1 0 2 0--3 Philadelphia 0 2 1 1--4

First Period--1, N.Y. Islanders, Nielsen 8 (Hillen, Montoya), 9:03. Penalties--Carter, Phi (hooking), 14:39.

Second Period--2, Philadelphia, Richards 19 (Hartnell), 1:58. 3, Philadelphia, van Riemsdyk 15 (Giroux, Carter), 17:31. Penalties--None.

Third Period--4, Philadelphia, Carter 28 (Giroux, O'Donnell), 5:05. 5, N.Y. Islanders, M.Martin 3 (Haley, Katic), 6:31. 6, N.Y. Islanders, M.Martin 4 (Hamonic, MacDonald), 19:32. Penalties--Comeau, NYI (hooking), 9:23.

Overtime--7, Philadelphia, Meszaros 5 (Leino, Carle), 4:42. Penalties--None.

Shots on Goal--N.Y. Islanders 6-15-13-1--35. Philadelphia 11-12-16-4--43.

Power-play opportunities--N.Y. Islanders 0 of 1; Philadelphia 0 of 1.

Goalies--N.Y. Islanders, Montoya 3-1-1 (43 shots-39 saves). Philadelphia, Bobrovsky 24-9-4 (35-32).

A--19,776 (19,537). T--2:22.

Referees--Bill McCreary, Greg Kimmerly. Linesmen--Tim Nowak, Pierre Champoux.

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