Flyers cash in on overtime shift

The Flyers avoided their first two-game losing streak in nearly two months.

Barely.

Defenseman Andrej Meszaros rifled home a shot from the high slot with 17.6 seconds left in overtime as the Flyers outlasted the pesky New York Islanders, 4-3, on Thursday night at the sold-out Wells Fargo Center. A deft pass by Ville Leino set up the game-winner.

Earlier, Meszaros had been unable to clear a puck that resulted in the Islanders' tying the score on Matt Martin's turnaround shot with 27.1 seconds left in regulation. Travis Hamonic lifted a high pass that Martin knocked down before beating Sergei Bobrovsky with a shot from in front.

"I tried to push him off, but it was too late," Meszaros said.

But he made amends in the dying seconds of overtime, blasting a shot high to the stick side.

"It was great patience by Ville, and I saw the top corner there," Meszaros said, smiling. "It's the only shot I've got, actually. I try shooting it in practice."

After the nearly penalty-free game, Flyers Nation breathed a collective sigh of relief when general manager Paul Holmgren said Chris Pronger, the team's premier defenseman, was not seriously injured and would play Saturday in Ottawa.

Pronger blocked Ty Wishart's shot with his right hand/wrist with a little over six minutes left in regulation, and he went to the locker room for treatment and did not return. X-rays were negative, Holmgren said.

"He's fine," Holmgren said, adding that the defenseman nearly returned to action Thursday. "It's dangerous. Guys are shooting the puck hard, and guys are trying to block shots - and things happen. We're just fortunate he's OK."

Said Pronger: "I had my gear back on [to return], but chose the better part of valor. I really couldn't grip my stick very well."

Center Claude Giroux set up two goals - one with a dazzling pass, the other with relentless work that, at one point, had him digging out the puck behind the net while on his knees.

Blistering Jeff Carter, on an assist from Giroux, gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead with 14:55 left in the third. The Islanders got to within 3-2 about 1½ minutes later, and tied it late in regulation.

Carter's goal was his 28th, tying him with Danny Briere for the team lead. Carter has 11 goals in his last 18 games.

Giroux has also been sizzling - 21 points, including 16 assists, in his last 18 games.

The Flyers were coming off Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Phoenix. They avoided consecutive defeats for the first time since late December.

Rookie-of-the-year candidate Bobrovsky made 32 saves and notched the win, lifting his record to 24-9-4.

Bobrovsky was disappointed in his performance.

"Three goals is a lot for me and the team," Bobrovsky said through a translator. "I have to play better."

The Flyers, for at least a few hours, leapfrogged Vancouver, which hosted St. Louis late Thursday night, and took over the overall NHL points lead.

Midway through the opening period, Frans Nielsen gave the Islanders the lead as he swooped past Darroll Powe (minus-3) at center ice, angled around defenseman Matt Carle in the offensive end, and scored on a shot that caromed off Bobrovsky's pads and into the far side.

Islanders goalie Al Montoya made 11 saves in a sharp first period, but he was beaten by Mike Richards from the high slot, tying the game at 1-1 with 18:02 remaining in the second period. It was Richards' 19th goal but just his second in his last 13 games.

With 2:29 left in the second, second-year winger James van Riemsdyk gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead, scoring from out front after taking a pretty backhand pass from Giroux.