NHL

Flyers edge Panthers in shootout

SUNRISE - Michal Handzus converted in the fourth round of a shootout Monday night to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 victory over the Panthers.

Flyers goaltender Antero Niittymaki forced Josef Stumpel, Florida's final shooter, wide, and he didn't get off a shot.

Ben Eager, who led all AHL rookies last season with 232 penalty minutes, scored his first NHL goal in the second period and scored again in the third to force overtime.

"What is sneaking up is the fact he's got skill and is being labeled as a role player," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said of Eager. "But his skill is excellent. He does some good things with the puck."

JACKETS 4, HAWKS 3 (OT): Nikolai Khabibulin was beaten late, very similar to his previous start, for visiting Chicago.

The ex-Lightning goalie gave up Nikolai Zherdev's acrobatic goal to tie it, then allowed Jaroslav Balastik's score in overtime as Columbus rallied. Zherdev tied it with 23 seconds left in regulation, muscling past four defenders and tapping in his own rebound while flying through the air after the goalie knocked him off his skates.

On Friday, Chicago's last game before Christmas break, Detroit scored on Khabibulin twice in the final 39 seconds of regulation to tie then won on Pavel Datsyuk's goal with one second left in overtime.

Columbus improved to 6-1 in overtime games and shootouts. The team is 4-25 in games decided in regulation.

MAPLE LEAFS 2, DEVILS 1: Bryan McCabe scored in the first, and it stood up as the winner for host Toronto. But the win came at a price as center Jason Allison fractured a finger when he blocked a shot in the third. The Devils were 0-for-6 on the power play and are four for their past 100.

SABRES 6, ISLANDERS 3: Chris Drury had a goal and two assists and Ryan Miller made 16 saves to help host Buffalo rally. The Sabres won for the 17th time in their past 20 games and swept the four-game season series. With the score tied at 3, Thomas Vanek scored on the power play with just less than five minutes remaining, and Drury iced it 11 seconds later.

THRASHERS 4, CANADIENS 0: Rookie Michael Garnett became the first Thrashers goalie to post consecutive shutouts, and Jaroslav Modry had a goal and three assists for host Atlanta. Garnett saved 36 shots, giving him 65 in the past two games.

SENATORS 6, RANGERS 2: Wade Redden had a goal and two assists and visiting Ottawa scored three power-play goals in the opening period. Redden, who also had a goal in the second for a career-high four points, set up power-play goals by Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson before scoring his sixth of the season.

STARS 6, BLUES 1: Goalie Johan Hedberg had two assists and 25 saves to lead host Dallas. Hedberg, who got the start as Marty Turco stayed in Dallas with the flu, is the first goalie with a multipoint game since Colorado's Patrick Roy had two assists against Nashville on Dec. 29, 2000.

AVALANCHE 7, COYOTES 4: Milan Hejduk's third-period goal capped a comeback from a three-goal deficit for host Colorado. Hejduk snapped a tie at 4 with 8:42 remaining, just as a five-on-three advantage was about to end. Phoenix led 3-0 in the first - Avalanche goalie Vitaliy Kolesnik was yanked after the first two goals - then Coyotes goalie Curtis Joseph was pulled after allowing three goals in four shots.

FLAMES 2, CANUCKS 1: Robyn Regehr scored a power-play goal midway through the third to lift visiting Calgary. That goal came less than two minutes after Anson Carter tied it for Vancouver.

WILD 4, OILERS 1: Marion Gaborik scored with 45 seconds left in the second to break a tie as Minnesota snapped host Edmonton's five-game winning streak in the first of back-to-back games between the teams.

PENGUINS: The state auditor general wants to tie the license to operate a slots parlor in Pittsburgh with responsibility for fully funding a new arena for the team. The Penguins have partnered with Isle of Capri Casinos on a $1-billion development plan that would include a new $290-million, 18,500-seat arena.

[Last modified December 27, 2005, 02:30:20]