Flyers Beat Lightning 5-4 to Force Game 7

Monday, May 17th 2004, 6:04 am

By: News On 6

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ If the Philadelphia Flyers can put together the first winning streak in the Eastern Conference finals, they will find themselves playing for the Stanley Cup. If form holds true in Game 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the ones facing the Calgary Flames.

Just when it looked as if the Lightning were on their way to their first trip to the championship round, Keith Primeau and Simon Gagne saved the Flyers for at least one more game.

Primeau scored an improbable goal with 1:49 left in regulation, and Gagne sent the orange-clad home crowd into a frenzy at 18:18 of overtime, giving the Flyers a 5-4 victory Thursday night.

No team has been able to win consecutive games in this series that has one game left Saturday in Tampa Bay. Whoever wins it will face the West champion Flames at home in the opener of the Stanley Cup finals on Tuesday night.

Through six games of bickering coaches and countless momentum swings, the East is still undecided _ largely because of Primeau.

``I think desperate teams are dangerous,'' said Primeau, the Flyers' captain who scored twice and has nine goals in the playoffs. ``You have so much to lose in that situation. That's why Game 7s are always exciting for those watching because both teams become just as desperate.''

Earlier in the series, Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said Philadelphia coach Ken Hitchcock should ``Shut his yap.'' Hitchcock, never one to hold his tongue, responded by asking if Tortorella was ``back out of his gopher hole.''

And they don't even get to play.

The Flyers are trying to reach the Cup finals for the eighth time, and first since the Detroit Red Wings swept them in 1997. The Lightning, in the playoffs for just the third time in their 12-year history, are already further along than they've ever been.

Vincent Lecavalier and Ruslan Fedotenko each scored twice for the Lightning, the top regular-season team in the East.

``Right now it's real tough to take,'' Lightning forward Tim Taylor said. ``But it's over and we have to get fresh for Game 7. We can't have any doubts going into Game 7.''

There was plenty of nervous energy in the sellout crowd when the Flyers' good-luck theme ``God Bless America'' was sung before the game. It didn't take long for the melody to be replaced by gasps.

Lecavalier ripped the first of his two goals past goaltender Robert Esche just 1:28 in, giving the Lightning the all-important first goal on their first shot. Tampa Bay had lost only once after taking a 1-0 lead in the playoffs, and Philadelphia had recovered just one time from that deficit to win.

``It's disappointing, especially when you are that close,'' Lecavalier said.

Gagne needed just 6:55 to get the Flyers even when he was set up for his first of the night by new linemates Primeau and Jeremy Roenick. Primeau made it 2-1 with 2:59 left in the period.

The Flyers outshot the Lightning 11-6 in the first period, but their lead was gone just 45 seconds after intermission when Lecavalier netted an unassisted goal through a screen set up by Philadelphia defenseman Mattias Timander.

Sami Kapanen, back at forward after playing much of this series as an out-of-position defenseman, beat goalie Nikolai Khabibulin with a sharp-angle shot that gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead with 7:18 left in the middle period.

Fedotenko then took over by scoring two goals 2:18 apart in the final five minutes of the period. It would stay 4-3 for a long time, but not long enough for the Lightning to advance.

``I looked up and there were seven minutes left and I was trying to figure out where the first 13 went,'' Primeau said of the third period, in which the Flyers held a 17-5 shots advantage. ``We were getting lots of chances and Khabibulin was great again.''

It took a remarkable play by Primeau to get the tying goal past the ``Bulin Wall.''

The puck was kicking around near the left post where Primeau managed to get a skate on it and redirect it diagonally across the crease between Khabibulin's pads. Primeau swung around behind the net to the far post and was there when the puck slid to him with nothing in front but a yawning goal.

``We deserved that goal,'' Hitchcock said.

The Flyers dominated the frenetic overtime that featured prime scoring chances for both teams. Philadelphia outshot Tampa Bay 10-5 in the extra session.

Primeau took a shot that hit Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina and went to Roenick, whose shot bounced to Gagne at the other side of the net. Gagne snapped a shot that hit Khabibulin and squeaked in.

``The puck went right to my stick and I shot it as hard as I could,'' Gagne said.

It carried enough force to knock the Flyers into Game 7.

``This team has a special quality. It won't quit,'' Hitchcock said.