LeClair Scores Two in Flyers’ Victory

John LeClair scored the Philadelphia Flyers’ first two goals and John Vanbiesbrouck made 32 saves Tuesday night in a 4-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes at Phoenix.

LeClair, who increased his NHL lead over teammate Eric Lindros to five goals with his 36th and 37th, also had two assists as the Flyers won for the first time in five games.

Young Russian defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny got his first NHL goal in his 43rd game, and Eric Desjardins also scored for the Flyers. Keith Jones had three assists.

Vanbiesbrouck, coasting with a 4-0 lead, gave up a goal to Phoenix’s Trevor Hansen 8:43 into the third period. It cost him his seventh shutout, which would have moved him out of a tie with Nikolai Khabibulin for second in the NHL.

Khabibulin had 37 saves, but was overwhelmed by the accuracy and variety of the Flyer offense, especially in the second period when the Flyers put 20 shots on net and scored on two.

Jimmy Waite was in goal on Sunday, when the Ducks also jumped to a 4-0 lead and defeated the Coyotes, 5-1. The Coyotes had lost two in a row two other times this season, but not by such embarrassing margins.

The Flyers took a 1-0 lead 9:40 into Tuesday’s game when Lindros dug the puck off the boards and passed it to Chris Therien at the blue line. LeClair, at the top of the circle, deflected Therien’s slap shot under the crossbar.

The Coyotes appeared to have tied the score 30 seconds into a power play late in the first period. But Jeremy Roenick’s rebound goal was disallowed after officials determined that Daniel Briere was in the crease.

Replays showed Briere’s skate was barely, but clearly, over the line.

LeClair made it academic in the second period when he scored on his rebound with 9:41 left, and 3:25 later passed to Tertyshny, whose shot hit the bar, dropped onto Khabibulin’s back and trickled in as the desperate goalie tried to sit on the puck.

Desjardins scored 3:39 into the third.

*

The American Hockey League, following a recommendation by the NHL overtime committee, will use four skaters per side in overtime, beginning with Friday’s games and continuing through the regular season.

The NHL Hockey Operations Department will evaluate the impact of this format on tie games, then will determine whether to bring it before the Board of Governors for consideration.