Artem Anisimov broke a 17-game pointless streak and Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves to stymie the Flyers as the Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 in a fight-filled contest which concluded three hours before the Super Bowl kickoff between the Giants and New England Patriots.

The Rangers beat the Flyers for the fourth straight time this season and sixth straight overall. Marian Gaborik, Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko also scored for Eastern Conference-leading New York.

“I think we know how important these games are,” said Gaborik, who scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season with five seconds left in the second period. “We have played very well against them this year and this game was one of them.”

Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds scored for the Flyers, who lost for the third time in four games. It was their first game against the Rangers since the Winter Classic in Philadelphia on Jan. 2.

“Our team could play better than we did,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Its just frustrating. We had an opportunity to win a game and we didnt.”

Lundqvists career-best shutout streak ended at 182 minutes, 37 seconds when Schenn scored in the second period, but the All-Star goaltender still improved to 24-14-4 on the season as fans at the Garden serenaded the Flyers with chants of “You cant beat us” as time elapsed.

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“Any time you can beat such a skilled team, its a great feeling,” Lundqvist said. “The fans were ready to go and everybody was excited to play Philly.”

Philadelphia was playing its fourth game in six days and the final of a weekend back-to-back. The Flyers lost 6-4 at home against New Jersey on Saturday.

“We just have to keep working, be more lucky and win the next game,” Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov said. “We didnt deliver today.”

Anisimov opened the scoring at 1:04 of the first period. He also assisted on Gaboriks second-period goal and Del Zottos go-ahead score at 1:33 of the third, which came 36 seconds after Simmonds tied it at 2. Dubinsky added an insurance goal at 12:15 and Fedotenko had an empty-netter at 18:44.

The Rangers are 16-4-1 in their last 21 games. Physical play, dynamic penalty killing and strong goaltending have led their surge. Theyve allowed a league-best 102 goals through 50 games.

“We are a sum of parts, thats how we play and thats the only way we can win,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “Thats the way we have to play and when another team joins in, it mounts.”

Gaboriks goal - moments after he lay stunned on the ice behind the Flyers net following a hard check - put the Rangers ahead 2-1. Gaborik got up and slipped a backhand past Bryzgalov after defenseman Andrej Meszaros had leveled him with the hit.

Anisimovs goal was his eighth of the season and came on a tip in of Dan Girardis slap shot. Anisimovs previous point had been an assist Dec. 22 against the New York Islanders.

“I enjoy every shift on the ice,” the soft-spoken Anisimov said. “It was a huge game for us. Every game is important.”

Schenn tied it on a picture-perfect breakaway goal at 12:02 of the second. Just out of the penalty box, the 20-year-old center took a pass from Jakub Voracek and beat Lundqvist by lifting a backhand over his glove hand.

The game was feisty as usual between the two rivals, who had the weeks leading up the Winter Classic chronicled by the cable network HBO.

Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel fought Simmonds in the first period and Tim Sestito in the second. Sestito also fought Dubinsky in the first and Brandon Prust in the third. Sestito was given an automatic game misconduct after his third fight.

“We were ready to play right from the start,” Bickel said.

The teams meet in Philadelphia on Feb. 11 and April 3.

Lundqvists shutout streak went back to the 19:11 mark of the second period Jan. 21 at Boston. The Swedish goaltender recorded consecutive shutouts for first time in his career with wins over Winnipeg Jan. 24 and Buffalo last Wednesday.

As far as Super Bowl plans, Lundqvists were aligned with most of the football-frenzied New York population.

“Ill be watching with a buddy who is a huge Giants fan and Ill be eating a lot of food,” the winning goaltender said.

Notes Philadelphia Fs Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk remained sidelined because of to concussions. The Rangers wore their Winter Classic white sweaters for the first time at home. The Rangers are a league-best 24-1-2 when scoring first. The Rangers have outscored the Flyers 24-8 in winning their last six contests. Lundqvist has held opponents to two or few goals in 26 games this season.

Anton Volchenkov, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and David Clarkson also scored for the Devils, who remained perfect since the All Star break while equaling their season-best win streak. Kovalchuk has been the key to the surge with three goals and seven assists in the four games.

Martin Brodeur made 28 saves to improve to 11-2 in his last 13 decisions against Pittsburgh. He also got an assist on Clarksons empty-net score in the closing seconds.

The win moved New Jersey within one point of fifth-place Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference.

Matt Niskanen and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins who had won nine of 10. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was yanked early in the second period after surrendering three goals, ending his nine-game winning streak.

Kovalchuk powered the Devils to a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Cruising all alone in the slot, Kovalchuk whipped a feed from Patrik Elias past Fleury for his team-leading 22nd goal at 2:21.

Kovalchuk was the playmaker on the second tally at 9:33, sending a return pass to Volchenkov in the slot. It was the first goal in 104 games for the defenseman, and his first with the Devils.

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Malkin had two quality chances for the Penguins, including one in the closing seconds of the period as Brodeur denied him with a spinning save.

New Jersey increased the lead to 3-0 at 2:28 in the second, getting a short-handed tally from Zubrus that was set up by a terrific effort by Kovalchuk.

The sequence started when Kovalchuk blocked a shot from Paul Martin at the point. Those two battled down the ice for possession with Kovalchuk winning and driving to the net only to be denied by Fleury. Zubrus knocked in the rebound as the Devils scored their league-leading 13th short-handed goal.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma pulled Fleury at that point, sending in Brent Johnson.

The move helped stem the Devils momentum and the Penguins cashed in the remaining power play when Niskanen scored at 3:02.

Parise restored the three-goal lead for the Devils with his 20th goal at 11:33.

In the third, Brodeur maintained the three-goal margin with a stellar stop on James Neals shot from the right circle.

Pittsburgh turned up the pressure after Volchenkov was whistled for high-sticking midway through the period, and it paid off when Malkin got his 29th, a power-play goal at 11:43.

NOTES: C Adam Henrique returned for the Devils after missing the last three games with a groin injury. To clear roster space, New Jersey returned D Peter Harrold to Albany of the AHL. … D Adam Larsson (sore back) and C Ryan Carter (hand injury) sat out for New Jersey while RW Cam Janssen was a healthy scratch. … D Ben Lovejoy and RW Colin McDonald were healthy scratches for Pittsburgh while RW Arron Asham missed a ninth straight game with a concussion.

Price made 23 saves for his third shutout of the season, Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist and Montreal ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

Max Pacioretty scored his 19th goal in the first period and Alexei Emelin made it 2-0 with a short-handed goal 7:20 into the second. Plekanec, who set up Emelins goal, was credited with his 11th goal on a power play at 11:28.

Price made a lunging glove save on Antti Miettinen, then a sprawling stop on the forwards backhand off the rebound 2:46 into the third to preserve his 15th career shutout.

“It just wound up on his tape and I just threw a limb back there and got a piece of it, and I was just swimming after that,” Price said.

Gomez failed to score for a 52nd straight game. The veteran center has gone a full calendar year since he scored last Feb. 5.

“Its not easy,” Price said. “Things havent gone his way the last year and thats all right. Hes a leader in our room and hes a big part of our hockey club.”

The Canadiens, who lost 3-0 to Washington on Saturday, moved back into a tie with Carolina at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 49 points.

“There are a lot of games to go and theres a lot of character in this room,” Plekanec said. “Im sure well do our best and well win some games together and get back into the picture and get somewhere where we know we can still make it.”

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Ondrej Pavelec stopped 20 shots for Winnipeg, which lost its second in a row.

The Jets remained in 10th place in the East with 54 points, six points behind the eighth and final playoff spot.

There was a long delay before the Canadiens third goal was announced to the crowd. Gomez, who was mockingly cheered whenever he touched the puck, was in front of the net when Pavelec was beat by Plekanecs shot from inside the blue line.

Some in the crowd of 21,273 booed when PA announcer Michel Lacroix finally announced that the goal was credited to Plekanec.

“They wanted to make sure that they got the right goal and Scotty on the bench said he didnt think it did,” Canadiens left wing Mathieu Darche said. “Were all hoping hes going to score but his attitude has been great. Hes a human being. Hes not trying not to score. Hes actually shooting more this year than Ive ever seen him shoot. Were behind him and his attitudes been outstanding, so all the guys are pulling for him.”

Pacioretty got credit for opening the scoring 18:02 into the game when Pavelec inadvertently knocked a loose puck into the net with his stick.

Emelin scored his second goal when he drove the net to direct Plekanecs feed past Pavelec while Andrei Kostistyn was serving his second minor penalty of the game.

“I thought we started the game well,” Jets coach Claude Noel said. “I thought our power play the first period at the 10-minute mark of the first period certainly didnt help us any and they took their game up and our game went down, and we didnt do a lot of things well through the two periods at all.

“We didnt win battles, we looked mentally fatigued, and we looked like we were worn down - there goes the result of no goals and they scored three. We didnt play very well.”

Notes Jets RW Blake Wheeler fought with Montreal D P.K. Subban 16:05 into the second. Canadiens D Raphael Diaz was left out of the lineup. Gomez has seven assists in 23 games.

Halak stopped 22 shots and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the second period to lead the Blues to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night.

Fresh off a four-day vacation in Jamaica with his girlfriend, Halak stopped Justin Williams from point-blank range with just over five minutes left in the third period to preserve the shutout. He also made big pad saves on Dustin Brown and Colin Fraser in the second period.

Halak was concerned that he might come out rusty after the Blues nine-day layoff.

“To be honest, I was a little worried at the start of the game,” Halak said. “I didnt know if I was going to come out strong. The first five minutes, we came out a little rusty. But after that we settled down and started playing our game.”

Halak said the mini-vacation helped him clear his mind and get set for the second half of the season.

“It was fun and relaxing, a little sun is always good,” Halak said. “I just wish I could have stayed longer.”

Halak recorded his fifth shutout of the season and 21st of his career. He improved to 15-8-5 and has four shutouts in his last seven starts. The Blues have a league-best 10 shutouts.

St. Louis improved to an NHL-best 22-3-4 at home and has not lost a regulation game at home since dropping a 5-2 decision to Chicago on Dec. 3.

The Blues moved into a tie with Vancouver for second in the Western Conference with 67 points.

Halak is 12-1-3 in his last 16 starts, one of the hottest streaks of his five-year career. He has a 1.53 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage over that 16-game stretch.

“Our guy was really great late, three great saves in the third period,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Im really happy with the way we competed. I thought the first period was as good as weve played in a month.”

St. Louis held the Kings without a shot over the final 11:13 of the opening period and recorded the last nine shots on goal.

“The defense was great, it always is,” Halak said. “Some nights I need our guys to step up and score some goals but that wasnt the case. The defense came up strong.”

Langenbrunner provide the offensive support with his fourth goal of the season at 8:38 of the second period. He scored on a 2-on-1 off a cross-ice pass from Matt DAgostini. It was the 57th game-winning goal of his career.

“I was just able to get open,” Langenbrunner said. “[DAgostini] laid it on my stick. It was a pretty easy one. He did a great job skating and getting by the defense. I didnt have much to do but put it in.”

Halak did the rest stopping eight shots in each of the last two periods.

“We had some good chances there but he made some good saves,” Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll said. “He just played better.”

Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for the Kings. He has allowed two goals or less in 12 of his last 14 starts.

The Kings, who fell to 10-6-6 on the road, had a two-game winning streak snapped.

St. Louis was the last team to play following the All-Star break. The nine-day layoff is their longest of the season.

“I thought we got into it pretty good right away,” Langenbrunner said. “It was a battle all night. I think considering that we hadnt played in nine days, we didnt waste a lot of time getting back to the way we needed to play.”

The Kings won the first two meetings between the teams this season including a 3-2 win Oct. 22 in St. Louis.

“St. Louis has the best home record in the league for a good reason,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. “They came out and physically established themselves.”

Notes

The Kings have a scored a league-low 22 goals in the first period. Los Angeles began a six-game 11-day road trip on Friday. The Kings home, Staples Center, is preparing to host the Grammy Awards. St. Louis wingers Alex Steen and Andy McDonald remain out with concussions. Steen has missed the last 14 games. McDonald has not played since Oct. 13. Both will remain home when the team begins a three-game road trip Saturday in Nashville. “Its really in the players hands,” Hitchcock said. “Theyll let us know when they are ready.” The Blues have given up a Western Conference-low 102 goals this season. Williams led the Kings with four shots on goal.

Sean Bergenheim scored a go-ahead goal in the second period and the Florida Panthers beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 Friday night.

Versteeg also scored a goal for Florida, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 20 shots. Versteeg, the teams leading scorer with 20 goals, returned to the lineup after missing Wednesdays game against the Capitals with the flu. He still suffered from its effects and says he felt “pretty much terrible” before the game.

“Its been a rough little go over the last few days,” Versteeg said. “Hopefully over the next little while I start to feel better, but a win always makes you feel pretty good.”

Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg and Chris Mason made 28 saves.

Winnipeg lost for the ninth straight time when playing the second of consecutive games. The Jets are have been shut out twice and outscored 36-7 in those.

“If youre going to be a good team, you have to learn to win these games,” Little said. “We cant use that as an excuse. Every team in the league has to play back-to-back games.”

Winnipeg has scored two goals or less in last five games and nine of the last 11.

“Our team right now cant give up 20 minutes of free play and expect youre going to be able to win the game,” Jets coach Claude Noel said. “Do I like the one goal we get every game? No. Would I Iike to see it change? Yes. Do I coach that way? No. Thats what we have, but theres still a way to win the games.”

The Jets tied it at 1 on Littles goal in the second. Little grabbed a loose puck and took a wrist shot from the left circle. The puck went between Clemmensens pads at 11:29.

Florida regained the lead about three minutes later. Marcel Goc passed the puck from behind the net to Bergenheim, who was waiting in front of the crease. His wrister got past Mason at 14:27.

The Panthers increased its hold on first place in the Southeast Division, moving three points ahead of the Capitals (56) and five points ahead of Winnipeg (54).

“We know whats at stake every game and weve got to start putting a long winning streak together instead of winning one and losing one,” Versteeg said.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on Versteegs power-play goal in the first period. Versteeg took a pass from Mikael Samuelsson at the left circle. His slap shot got between Masons right skate and the post at 15:46. Versteeg now has six goals and two assists in the past three games against Winnipeg.

The last seven games for the Panthers have been decided by two goals or less.

“If you look at our record in the last two months, so many tight games, close games, I like the idea that were building up some resiliency and some character,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “I think that will pay up for us down the line. Wed like to have a game where we have a little breathing room, but were getting used to these kinds of games and its the nature of the league right now.”

Notes

Winnipeg D Dustin Byfuglien played in his second consecutive game since missing 16 games due to a knee injury. Florida W Marco Sturm , who missed 14 games before returning to the lineup last Wednesday, is out with a lower body injury. Samuelsson has a three-game points streak.

Iginla had a goal and an assist to help the Calgary Flames beat the Blackhawks 3-1 Friday night.

“It was really nice to see that one go in,” said Iginla, who had six shots and put another shot off a goal post. “As a team going into the third period in a tight game lately, we havent been able to seal it and tonight we were able to against a very good club.”

Olli Jokinen scored in the first period and Jay Bouwmeester added a power-play goal in the second to help Calgary shake off two straight home losses.

Brent Seabrook scored for Chicago, which has lost five straight, including an 8-4 loss in Edmonton the night before. The Blackhawks also lost 3-2 at Vancouver in overtime on Tuesday night.

Ray Emery stopped 29 of 32 shots for the Blackhawks, who have six games left in a nine-game road trip that will feature games in all four time zones.

“I think stretches like this get your attention and as a team you learn from this,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “We havent really had a challenge like this all year and its up to us to recapture how we felt earlier in the year and know what it takes to win.”

Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 26 shots for his 299th NHL win. He passed Mike Vernon for the Flames goalie record with 527 games.

His best stop came early in the third as he sprawled to deny Viktor Stalberg from close-in as he burst in from off the wing in a bid for the tying goal.

“With the goalie we have, he gives us a chance to win every night so its not like we have to score four or five goals,” Jokinen said. “Were pretty confident that if we score two goals, we have a pretty good chance to win.”

With Calgary hanging on to a 2-1 lead, Iginla gave the Flames some breathing room at 12:39 of the third period. Sent in alone by Alex Tanguay, Iginla fooled Emery with a deke, then dragged the puck past the goalie for his 19th goal.

Calgary took advantage of a four-minute double minor for high-sticking on Michael Frolik to make it 2-1 at 18:56 of the second.

Mikael Backlunds shot through a Blair Jones screen was kicked out by Emery but went right to Bouwmeester, who fired in the rebound for his fourth goal.

Chicago had the edge in play in the first period, outshooting Calgary 13-6, but the Flames turned the tables in the second holding a 16-6 edge in shots.

Chicago has lost seven straight road games.

Emery, who had 29 stops, was excellent in net for the Blackhawks. His record falls to 11-4-2.

Chicago tied the score at one with 29 seconds remaining in the first period, taking advantage of a defensive lapse. Seabrook crept in from the point and buried a perfect cross-ice pass from Patrick Kane before Kiprusoff could get across.

“We have a tough division, the Central division, every team this year has a chance to make the playoffs and to be honest, has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Seabrook said. “Its going to be a dogfight to make the playoffs and weve got to get rolling here.”

Calgary opened the scoring at 12:24 on a Jokinens goal, though it took a couple minutes for his 13th goal to be confirmed.

Jokinen let go a wicked rising slapshot from 30 feet out that went off the bar at the back of the net and bounced out so fast that Jokinen, who immediately put his arms in the air, appeared to be the only person on the ice that thought it was a goal. Play continued briefly with the crowd of 19,289 seemingly confused also before play was stopped and video replay confirmed that it was a goal.

Calgary, which had lost three straight games at home, kicks off a three-game road trip against the Pacific Division Monday night in Anaheim.

Chicago will fly home for a brief stay before heading to Colorado, where the Blackhawks will continue their road trip on Tuesday night.

“We just have to work and play better as a group,” Seabrook said. “We had some chances but nobodys going to give us a win here. Weve got to go out there and take it, and fight for every two points.”

Krys Kolanos made his Flames debut after signing with Calgary on Wednesday. Kolanos had been playing with the Flames AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, where he was the teams leading scorer.

Notes

Iginlas goal was No. 403 in his career, tying him with Peter Bondra for 39th all-time. Kolanos played right wing on a line with Mike Cammalleri and Jones. It was the 137th career NHL game for Kolanos, who has seen NHL time previously with Phoenix, Edmonton and Minnesota. Flames RW Lee Stempniak (sprained ankle) did not play. Hell be out of the line-up for six weeks. Chicago RW Andrew Brunette (upper body) missed his first game of the season.

Washington Capitals @ Montreal Canadiens
Saturday February 4, 2012 – 2:00 PM ET
Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
NHL best sportsbook Line: Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens aren’t the only team that has really struggled to match expectations this year, as a Washington team that was expected to challenge for first place sat in ninth through 50 games. The Capitals’ best shot is through the Southeast division where they are just one point back of the Florida Panthers for top spot despite consecutive losses.

Betting On Capitals Canadiens Preview: Washington Capitals

If there was one area where the Capitals needed to be much better, it would be on the road where they have won just eight of a possible 25 games, compared to an 18-6-1 record at home. Washington has had a lot of trouble when stars like Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin are matched up against the opponent’s best defensive line, and it won’t get any easier against a determined Montreal team that has played them well this year. If the Capitals are going to do better on the road, they will need more from a powerplay that is ranked 13th in the NHL.

Betting On Capitals Canadiens Preview: Montreal Canadiens

Improving their powerplay against the league’s top-ranked penalty kill could be a tough task, especially considering how much this game will mean to the Canadiens. Montreal is killing penalties at an 89.6 success rate, the only problem is that the other side of their special teams is severely lacking, as the 29th ranked powerplay is converting only 12.5-percent of its chances. Montreal’s lack of size five-on-five has made it difficult to score a ton of goals despite some talented pieces, which is why the powerplay has been and will continue to be so crucial for this team going forward.

Betting On Capitals Canadiens Preview: Outlook & Pick

It has been hard to lay down a best best sportsbook on Montreal this season with everything that the team has gone through, but this seems like a good spot to take them. The Capitals have struggled to score goals on the road and haven’t played well against the Canadiens in recent years, so it’s unlikely this will be the game they turn it around as the visitors. Michal Neuvirth made 19 saves in a shutout win the last time Washington visited, something that is still in the Canadiens’ players minds.

Betting On Capitals Canadiens Pick: Montreal Canadiens

The Hurricanes, who won all four meetings with the Bruins, are 15-25-9 against the rest of the NHL and are last in the Eastern Conference. Carolina outscored Boston 14-5 in the season sweep, the franchises first over Boston, dating to the days when the team was the Hartford Whalers.

Eric Staal scored in the first period, Tuomo Ruutu converted Sutters rebound in the second, and Sutter added a goal 3:13 into the third.

Ward, 11-11-2 against the Bruins, posted his third including three over Boston.

Despite the high number of shots, the Bruins had few quality scoring chances and were booed by the home crowd.

Tuukka Rask made 28 saves and lost his third straight start. Boston lost in regulation for the third time in its last 20 home games and second in the past 10.

<p and were blanked for the third time this season, all at home.

Ruutu hit defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the corner to start the play that resulted in Staals goal. As Boychuk was trying to get up, Jiri Tlusty got the puck to Staal for a one-timer at 11:51 of the first. Carolina had the lead despite the Bruins matching their season high for shots in a period.

Staal, who has struggled this season, has 18 points in 15 games.

Boychuk missed the rest of the period but was back for the second.

It was the second time this season the Bruins had 22 shots in a period, and they allowed only eight for Carolina.

The Hurricanes outshot the Bruins 14-5 in the second period and cashed in on a mixup between defensemen Andrew Ference and Adam McQuaid to make it 2-0. Sutter stole the puck from Ference and was stopped by Rask. Ruutu made a nifty move past McQuaid after picking up the rebound and swept in his 16th goal of the season on the backhand.

Notes

Bruins RW Nathan Horton, who sat out the last four games of the Stanley Cup finals because of a concussion, missed his third straight game because of another concussion following a hit from Philadelphias Tom Sestito on Jan. 22. “Hes still where he was a few days ago, like I said feeling better but not well enough to get to that stage of working out,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. … McQuaid was in the lineup despite being questionable because of a lower body injury. Ference returned after serving a three-game NHL suspension. … Carolina D Jaroslav Spacek was struck by a slap shot by Boychuk midway through the second period, but wasnt seriously injured.. The Hurricanes started a stretch of five of seven on the road.

Simmonds scored two goals, Matt Read and Claude Giroux also had goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers snapped Nashvilles five-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory over the Predators on Thursday.

Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves to earn his 175th career win, and the Flyers finally played just 60 minutes. They went to a shootout in their previous three contests, losing twice.

Simmonds was acquired along with Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick in the blockbuster deal that sent Mike Richards to Los Angeles last summer. Simmonds has 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points. Richards has 14 and 12 for 26.

“His confidence is growing,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Hes a difficult person to get the puck from. He holds onto the puck and makes plays.”

Ryan Suter had Nashvilles lone goal. The Predators had won nine of their last 10 games and entered with the NHLs best record since Dec. 28, going 13-2.

“I thought we came out and played hard,” Suter said. “The first [goal] kind of deflected off a stick, but that stuff happens. We just have to battle through it.”

Simmonds gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with 4:19 left in the first period. His turnaround wrister sailed through traffic, off a defender and past goaltender Anders Lindback.

Simmonds power-play goal with 4:41 left in the game sealed the win after the Predators cut the deficit to 2-1. Simmonds scored off a rebound of a shot by Giroux, who added an empty-netter when Jaromir Jagr passed up an easy goal.

“We got great depth,” said Simmonds, who plays on the third line. “From lines one to four, anyone can score. Its great to have depth.”

It was a much-needed home win for Philadelphia in a matchup of two teams that came in second in their division and fourth in their conference. The Flyers improved to 12-7-4 at the Wells Fargo Center.

A few minutes after the Flyers failed to capitalize on a two-man advantage, Read extended the lead to 2-0 with an unassisted goal in the second period. Read stole the puck from Kevin Klein near Philadelphias blue line and started a breakaway. He faked a pass to Harry Zolnierczyk and fired a slap shot from the left faceoff circle that went through Lindbacks legs.

Read, an undrafted free agent, leads NHL rookies with 16 goals. The 25-year-old forward is strengthening his bid to win the Calder Trophy with every goal.

“We kill a five-on-three and usually the team that makes the kill gets the momentum, but we gave it right back to them when they scored,” Predators coach Barry Trotz said.

Nashvilles Craig Smith nearly tied it at 1 in the second period when his one-timer hit the post. Seconds later, Bryzgalov made the save on Smiths point-blank shot from inside the right faceoff circle.

Smith finally got the Predators a tally when he set up Suters goal with 11:23 remaining. Smith sent a crossing pass between Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros legs to Suter, who scored his first goal in 27 games to get Nashville within 2-1.

Lindback started instead of Pekka Rinne, who has won 10 straight starts and 13 of 14.

Bryzgalov has started six of Philadelphias last eight games. The eccentric goalie hasnt lived up to expectations in his first year with Philadelphia after signing a $51 million, nine-year contract. He entered the game with a 2.92 goals-against average and a mediocre .896 save percentage.

“He looks really sharp,” Laviolette said. “Hes focused. Hes worked really hard in practice and often that reflects in games.”

Notes

The Flyers acquired minor-league RW Matt Ford from Washington for D Kevin Marshall. Ford was assigned to the AHLs Adirondack Phantoms. Simmonds has goals in both games vs. Nashville. The Predators are 6-7-3 vs. Philadelphia. The Flyers and Predators have more trades (17) with each other than games played (16). Nashville entered the NHL in 1999. Smith and Patric Hornqvist have points in five straight games. Suters last goal was on Nov. 23. Giroux hadnt scored in 12 games since Jan. 2.

New York Rangers @ Buffalo Sabres
Wednesday February 1, 2011 – 7:30 PM ET
First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
NHL best sportsbook Line: New York Rangers - 110

The additions of Christian Ehrhoff, Ville Leino, and Robyn Regehr haven’t panned out the way that fans in Buffalo would have hoped, and now head coach Lindy Ruff has to figure out a way to maximize his team’s potential and turn things around. The Sabres play a crucial back-to-back against the Montreal Canadiens and Rangers coming out of the break, and anything less than four points will be a disappointment.

Rangers Sabres Betting Preview: New York Rangers

Whether it is the boost they received from constantly being under the HBO 24.7 cameras or just the perfect blend of size and speed combined with excellent goaltending, the Rangers have emerged as one of the league’s most consistent teams this season. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist remains one of the top goalie’s in the NHL with a 1.87 goals against average, and his teammates are playing excellent hockey in front of him as New York ranks second in goals against. Offensive stars like Marian Gaborik and Richards have the Rangers on the verge of cracking the top-10 in average goals as well, and they will look to pick up from right where they left off coming out of the break.

Rangers Sabres Betting Preview: Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres can learn a lot from the Rangers, especially considering that they have a lot of the same pieces to be just as good. Ryan Miller is one year removed from the best season of his career, and while the concussion he suffered earlier in the season may be playing a part in it, he is still a top talent. Buffalo has a ton of offensive talent on its back end, particularly with Ehrhoff, and could be much better than 14th in the NHL on the powerplay. Jason Pominville leads the Sabres in scoring with 47 points, but the Sabres will need more help from their depth scorers in order to be competitive night in and night out.

Rangers Sabres Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick

While the Rangers have to travel to Buffalo, it isn’t far from New Jersey and both teams play the night before, so the schedule shouldn’t be much of a factor in this game. New York has been the more complete and more determined team all season, and that won’t change coming out of the break as New York looks to lock up the top spot in the East, beginning as best best sportsbook favorites in this matchup of in-state rivals.

Rangers Sabres Betting Pick: New York Rangers