Flyers Skate Through Scoreless Overtime

The Philadelphia Flyers are already responding well to new coach Bill Barber, just two games after he started.

Veteran forward Kevin Stevens noticed the difference when the Flyers earned a 2-2 tie with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

"It`s been good," Stevens said. "We`ve been able to get in there and do some forechecking. The style`s a little different. It seems like we`re jumping a little more."

Philadelphia beat the New York Islanders in Barber`s debut Sunday night, hours after he replaced the fired Craig Ramsay.

Keith Primeau scored a highlight-reel goal that briefly put the Flyers up 2-1 before Nashville defenseman Bill Houlder scored the tying goal just 39 seconds later.

"It`s getting there," Philadelphia`s Mark Recchi said. "We had a lot of good quality chances. If we continue to play like that, the puck will start going in for us."

Houlder knew it was important to score on the next shift after the Predators fell behind for the second time. "It`s nice, obviously, to respond so quickly to getting down like that," Houlder said. "We`re trying to get the concept now that being one goal down is not the end of the world. It`s not over."

His slap shot went between the pads of Philadelphia goalie Roman Cechmanek at 8:06 of the third period. It was his second goal of the season, but a timely one for a team that was shut out four times in its previous 10 games.

"When you get a 2-1 lead, we thought we could hold that one," Stevens said.

Primeau has also noticed the change since Barber took over. "I thought our defense was a lot more assertive," he said. "They went back with authority, and they`re turning the puck up."

On a Flyers power play late in regulation, Nashville goalie Tomas Vokoun stopped Mark Recchi, and Primeau hit the post. Vokoun also made a glove save on Kent Manderville 1:33 into overtime.

Nashville`s Scott Walker tied it 1-1 with a short-handed goal at 19:27 of the second period. The goal was Walker`s seventh of the season and his second in two games. Five of his 39 career goals have been short-handed.

Todd Fedoruk, recalled from the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms on Monday, put the Flyers on top 5:32 into the game.

"It was a good game," Barber said. "Give them some credit. Their defense jumped up the ice at the right time, and to be honest, we didn`t get a lot of good breaks. The bottom line is I`m very pleased with how we played."

Notes:
The game was telecast on ESPN2, the first time in the Predators` three-year history the network has aired one of their home games. ... Over the last two weeks, Nashville established a season-high three-game winning streak and a season-high four-game losing streak. They are 1-4-1 in their last six. ... Flyers LW John LeClair (back spasms) did not make the trip and has been placed on injured reserve. LeClair has played in just eight of 30 games this season. ... The Predators reassigned LW Ville Peltonen to Milwaukee (IHL) after he cleared waivers.

Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Author: AP