PHILADELPHIA — Benching goalie Carey Price couldn’t spark Montreal. Now Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers are one win from ending the Canadiens’ season.
Briere scored the winner on a rebound with 3:38 left to lift Philadelphia to a 4-2 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday and a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Flyers, the worst team in the NHL last season, can eliminate the top-seeded Canadiens in Game 5 on Saturday night in Montreal.
The Canadiens gave Philadelphia a scare when Tomas Plekanec and Saku Koviu tied the score 2-2 on goals 37 seconds apart late in the third.
Briere’s eighth goal of the postseason was enough to send to Flyers to Montreal with a chance to win the best-of-seven series.
“We have to go in there with a mind-set that it’s Game 7,” Briere said. “This is far from over, I know they are not going to quit.”
Sharks 2, Stars 1
DALLAS — Milan Michalek scored on a power play with 16:34 left as San Jose avoided being swept in the Western Conference semifinal series.
Sharks captain Patrick Marleau had tied the game with another short-handed goal, getting one after a turnover by Sergei Zubov for the second game in a row.
It was the fourth goal of the playoffs for Marleau.
The Associated Press
