Philadelphia Closes Fast in Game Played With Abandon

NEW YORK — It became a test of wills, of who would get to the puck first, who would win Tuesday’s game, who would take the lead in the war the Eastern Conference semifinals had become.

When Eric Lindros pushed past Mark Messier to win their one-on-one battle and scored into an empty New York Ranger net, he clinched the Philadelphia Flyers’ 6-3 victory and gave them a 2-1 series lead. Lindros’ third goal of the game--his first playoff hat trick, and the Flyers’ third goal in the final five minutes--also applied the final flourish to a surprisingly open game.

“When he comes out of his end zone with speed like that, it would take a team of horses to stop him,” Messier said after Lindros silenced the Madison Square Garden crowd of 18,200.

It may take another extraordinary effort to stop the Flyers from wresting control of this series from the Rangers, who added another player to their lengthy injured list when forward Ken Gernander suffered a concussion in the first period on a hit from Trent Klatt. Brian Leetch, hampered by a jammed right wrist, played less than usual but more than he wanted, pressed into service after fellow defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev’s mother died and Karpovtsev returned home to Russia Tuesday afternoon.

While the Rangers may be fading, the Flyers seem to be getting stronger. Ron Hextall, jeered by fans before the game began, gave Philadelphia the reliable goaltending it had lacked in losing Game 2, 5-4, on Sunday. “[The fans] were pretty easy on me the first two periods,” Hextall said. “Maybe my karma made them warm and fuzzy.”

The Rangers weren’t feeling warm and fuzzy after their first home playoff loss this spring.

“It’s a tough loss. But they deserved to win,” Ranger forward Wayne Gretzky said. “They played very well and they created their own opportunities. . . . They’re one of the biggest teams assembled in hockey. Their strength and forte is to cycle down low and they’re one of the best teams in hockey doing it.”

The Flyers dominated the first period, getting goals from Lindros--after the video goal judge determined his wraparound attempt had crossed the goal line at 7:33--and a slap shot at 12:03 by Petr Svoboda that eluded Ranger goalie Mike Richter, who had lost his stick. The Rangers pulled even in the third period on a pair of goals by Russ Courtnall in a span of three minutes, 19 seconds. Lindros gave the Flyers a 3-2 lead when he ripped a shot from the right circle at 6:35, but the Rangers came back again, after Flyer defenseman Janne Niinimaa overskated the puck near his own net and it was pounced on by Courtnall, who fed Gretzky at 14:21.

“I don’t think anybody felt too much control tonight with the way things were going,” Lindros said. “It was a bit of a yo-yo style game.”

Said Richter: “We scored three goals and you would think, with a team that can be as good as we are defensively, it’s enough to win. . . . I’ve got to make a couple more big saves.”

He couldn’t save Klatt’s shot off a perfectly executed two-on-one break with Shjon Podein at 14:59, and after that, the Rangers had nothing left. Rod Brind’Amour drew Richter out of his net before lifting a shot past him for a 5-3 lead at 16:52, setting up Lindros’ empty-net goal.

“We opened up too soon, at the wrong time,” Ranger Coach Colin Campbell said. “When we made it 3-3 we thought we had to go for it and keep on that roll, and we should have sat back and waited. . . . We just got a little loose, and that’s not our style and hasn’t been our style in the playoffs.”

Lindros’ style has been to produce and avoid the retaliatory penalties that used to hurt his team. With nine goals, he ranks third among playoff scorers behind Colorado’s Claude Lemieux (11) and Gretzky (10). He’s third in points with 20, behind Joe Sakic (22) and Lemieux (21). “He showed why he’s the great player he is,” Flyer Coach Terry Murray said. “Eric battled hard. He showed a lot of discipline and a lot of poise.”

Lindros, however, considered the Flyers lucky to have escaped with the victory. “[The Rangers] are a hell of a hockey club. We have to be ready for whatever they do,” he said. “You saw what they did in the third period. We have to be prepared.”