NHL Roundup : Capitals Beat Flyers, Cut Lead to One Point

The Washington Capitals had a point to prove and two to gain.

They did both Sunday as Bob Gould scored 2:54 into the third period to give the Capitals a 6-5 victory over Philadelphia at Landover, Md., and put them within one point of the first-place Flyers in the Patrick Division.

It meant even more than that to the Capitals.

“A lot of people have said we’ve never to this point proven that we can play and win the big games,” Washington Coach Bryan Murray said. “I thought we did that today.”

The Capitals won for the 12th time in 14 games and snapped the Flyers’ six-game winning streak.

Craig Laughlin scored a goal and set up two others, including Gould’s backhander that broke a 5-5 tie. Gould’s 14th goal of the season came 77 seconds after Philadelphia’s Brian Propp tied the score.

“It’s a big confidence builder knowing that we can beat them,” Laughlin said.

Al Jensen, who replaced Pete Peeters (4 goals in 12 shots) in the third period, stopped 10 of 11 Philadelphia shots. The Flyers’ Glenn Resch (2 goals in 18 shots) replaced Bob Froese (4 goals in 15 shots) in the second period.

Philadelphia’s Ron Sutter scored 1:38 into the game, but Washington retaliated with goals by Bob Carpenter and Gaetan Duchesne within 78 seconds.

Tim Kerr’s 51st and 52nd goals put the Flyers ahead, 3-2, late in in the first period, but the Capitals regained the lead on second-period goals by Scott Stevens and Dave Christian.

Laughlin’s goal made it 5-3, but Philadelphia’s Ilkka Sinisalo scored his 35th of the season 11 seconds later and Propp made it 5-5 just 1:37 into the third period.

Calgary 7, Winnipeg 4--The Flames chased goalie Dan Bouchard with three goals in the first five minutes and overpowered the Jets at Winnipeg.

Lanny McDonald, Al MacInnis and Colin Patterson beat Bouchard as the Flames’ scored on three of their first five shots, prompting the Jets to bring on Brian Hayward in relief. McDonald scored on the game’s first shot, 32 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Joel Otto beat Hayward for his 22nd goal to give Calgary a 4-1 lead after one period.

Calgary put the game away with third-period goals by Haakan Loob and Tim Hunter.

Chicago 5, N.Y. Rangers 3--Behn Wilson’s goal at 15:21 of the second period broke a 3-3 tie and the Blackhawks beat the Rangers at New York to take sole possession of the Norris Division lead.

The Blackhawks, who snapped a four-game losing streak, moved two points ahead of idle St. Louis. The Rangers remained three points behind idle Pittsburgh in the struggle for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division.

Kurt Fraser’s goal at 4:38 of the third period gave Chicago some breathing room.

Boston 5, Hartford 5--Ron Francis had three assists and scored with 3:30 left by deflecting a shot off the back of Bruin goalie Pat Riggin’s leg to lift the Whalers into a tie at Hartford, Conn.

The deadlock kept the Bruins three points ahead of the Whalers for third place in the Adams Division playoff race. The Bruins are undefeated in their last six games and the Whalers ended a four-game winning streak.