Flyers Shine Over Stars

The Flyers need Brian Boucher to keep playing the way he is.

Keith Primeau scored the game-winning goal, and Boucher made 29 saves as the Flyers defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1.

"You need great goaltending today it seems," coach Bill Barber said. "It's the only chance you have of winning and Boucher sure provided that for us."

It was the Flyers' second straight home victory and the first time they won back-to-back home games all season.

"The last few games we played very well at home," Boucher said. "It's something for us to build on. It was a good win for us because Dallas has a lot of good players, so you have to be on top of your game against them."

Boucher, who entered the game leading the NHL with a 1.63 goals against average and a .938 save percentage, made his best save on Jamie Langenbrunner. The puck was well on its way into an empty net but Boucher got his stick on the puck at the last possible moment and knocked it wide.

"That's just a desperate play," Boucher said. "Sometimes you need to be lucky enough to have things like that go your way if you're going to win hockey games."

Primeau scored on a rebound of a Chris Therien shot at 11:36 of the second to break a tie, when he backhanded a shot underneath goalie Ed Belfour's left pad.

"I thought we played with more energy," Primeau said. "For the first time in a long time we were better than our opponent through the neutral zone."

The Flyers defeated Dallas for the first time since Dec. 6, 1996, ending a streak of eight straight games without a win against the Stars.

The Flyers have surrendered just 71 goals on the season, which ties them with Tampa Bay for the fewest allowed in the NHL.

"Our goals against all year has been one of the best," Barber said. "You have to credit our guys for that. Maybe at times that (style of play) has hindered our offense, but it's the right way to play. The way Boucher was playing in net tonight, I was comfortable playing the way we did the last half of the game even though it was only a one goal lead."

Marty Murray opened the scoring when he took a pass from Primeau and lifted a backhander over Belfour's glove to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 14:28 of the first period.

Donald Brashear had a dubious beginning to his Flyers career, garnering a hooking penalty 34 seconds into the game, and then later receiving a penalty for interference that led to the Stars' lone goal of the game.

Martin Rucinsky tallied the power-play goal to tie the game at 1 when he rocketed a one-timer past Boucher from just inside the left circle on a pass from Jere Lehtinen.

Brashear played in his first game for the Flyers after being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jan Hlavac on Monday.

The Stars had a goal disallowed with just 6:20 remaining when referee Dan O'Halloran ruled Pierre Turgeon blatantly kicked the puck into the goal.

Early in the first period Mike Modano had a shot sit precariously on the goal line before being swiped away by Chris Therien. The officials reviewed the shot, but there wasn't enough conclusive video evidence to prove the puck crossed the goal line.

"It was a goal," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We replayed our own tape off of our broadcast and it was a goal by a foot, but what are you going to do?"

Game notes:
Brashear also played in his 500th career NHL game. ... The Stars had their eight-game road unbeaten streak snapped. The streak was the longest in the NHL this season. ... Flyers D Chris McAllister played in his 200th NHL game. ...Lehtinen has at least one point in eight of his last ten games.

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Author: 6 - ABC, Action News