Senators Ground Flyers

Marian Hossa had a goal and three assists and Jani Hurme recorded his second victory in his second career start as the Ottawa Senators beat the Flyers 6-1 Tuesday night in Neilson`s return to Philadelphia.

Radek Bonk added two goals for the Senators. Neilson, the former Flyers coach who thought he had agreed to a contract extension to coach the team through this season, is now an assistant with Ottawa.

His old team is winless in its last five games, and held a closed-door team meeting for 27 minutes after the game. His new team is 4-0-1, matching the best start in the franchise`s nine years since rejoining the NHL.

"It`s a little strange," Neilson said. "I had never come in through the back with the visitors. A couple times, I got the numbers messed up on the sweaters."

Andreas Dackell gave the Senators a 1-0 lead 4:38 into the game on a rebound off a shot from Alexei Yashin that followed a giveaway by Keith Jones.

Yashin made it 2-0 with a power-play goal less than three minutes later.

That was more than enough against an injury-plagued Flyers team. Philadelphia played without John LeClair, Mark Recchi and Chris Therien. LeClair will undergo surgery Saturday to repair a disc in his back, and will be out at least six weeks. Recchi missed his third straight game with concussion-like symptoms, and Therien sat out with a sore back.

"Those guys are a big part of their hockey team," Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. "They made it to the Eastern Conference finals last season. They have a lot of depth. They`ll be there."

The Flyers aren`t making any excuses. "It`s time to get things on track now," captain Eric Desjardins said. "Right from the start, we`re not giving ourselves a chance to win."

Neilson, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma last December, left the Flyers on Feb. 19 to pursue aggressive treatment, and never returned to the position he said was promised to him.

Neilson wanted to come back for the playoffs, but general manager Bob Clarke and Neilson`s doctors decided the 65-year-old coach wasn`t ready.

After Craig Ramsay was promoted to head coach in June, Neilson left for Ottawa. Ramsay led the club within one game of the Stanley Cup finals in Neilson`s absence.

"He brings a lot to the team," Hossa said of Neilson. "There was something more about this game. We wanted to win for him."

The Senators started Hurme in goal against the Flyers because Patrick Lalime injured his left knee against Toronto last Saturday.

Hurme, who beat Tampa Bay in his other start last April 9, stopped 21 shots. Keith Primeau`s power-play goal with 2:30 left spoiled the shutout.

"The guys in front of me really played good, and made it easier for me," Hurme said. Bonk gave Ottawa a 3-0 lead on a wraparound goal with 1:29 left in the first. Daniel Alfredsson made it 4-0 by poking in a rebound 7:29 into the second.

Hossa scored 3:44 into the third to make it 5-0, and knock Flyers goalie Brian Boucher out of the game.

Roman Cechmanek relieved Boucher, and stopped seven of the eight shots he faced in his NHL debut.

Notes:
Ottawa is 7-1-2 against the Flyers in the last 10 meetings, and hasn`t lost in Philadelphia since Nov. 1997. ... The Flyers have been outscored 12-2 in the first period this season. ... Hossa leads the team with 10 points in five games. ... Ottawa hadn`t allowed a power-play goal in 12 opportunities before Primeau`s goal.

Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Author: AP