NHL Roundup : Sabres Extend Flyers’ Losing Streak

Before they started a brief trip West last week, the Philadelphia Flyers were convinced they had a great chance to earn an extra $200,000.

That’s how much money the players on the team with the best regular-season record will share. The Flyers were only six points behind the leaders, the Edmonton Oilers.

The Flyers talked about how they had turned it on a year ago when they were 17 points behind the Oilers and went on to finish with the best record.

Suddenly, the Flyers aren’t talking about money. Their immediate concern is making sure they win the Patrick Division.

Just 30 seconds after the Flyers had rallied from a 4-0 deficit Tuesday night at Philadelphia to tie the score, Adam Creighton’s first goal of the season snapped the tie and led the Buffalo Sabres to a 6-4 victory.

It was the fourth loss in a row for the Flyers and, with Washington winning again, their division lead was cut to one point over the Capitals. The Flyers lost an overtime game at Edmonton Sunday after previously losing at Calgary and Vancouver.

The return home was a disaster for the first 24 minutes, with Doug Smith scoring twice to help build the 4-0 lead.

Early in the final period, the Sabres led, 4-2, but when Lindy Ruff went off for five minutes after cutting Brian Propp with his stick, Ilkka Sinisalo scored two power-play goals and it was tied.

Then, Creighton, who was out of action for six weeks because of a hand injury, ripped a shot between the pads of goalie Darren Jensen from the right faceoff circle.

Goalie Tom Barrasso, who stopped 17 shots in the last period, thwarted the Flyers’ attempts to tie, and Mike Foligno completed the scoring with a goal into an empty net with 15 seconds left.

The victory put the Sabres just one point behind third-place Boston in the Adams Division race.

Buffalo’s veteran center Gil Perreault had an assist, but he still needs a goal to give him 500 in his career.

Washington 4, New Jersey 2--Alan Haworth reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time in his career in this game at Landover, Md., to help the Capitals win their fifth in a row.

Haworth’s 30th goal, early in the second period, gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead. Late in the period, Mike Gartner scored his 32nd goal to give goalie Pete Peeters all the margin he needed.

Peeters, who is 10-2 at Landover since joining the Capitals earlier in the season, stopped 23 shots.

New York Islanders 6, Montreal 3--Pat LaFontaine, returning to action after missing 15 games because of a shoulder injury, got the Islanders rolling in the second period at Uniondale, N.Y.

After the Canadiens jumped in front in the first period on Chris Nilan’s goal, LaFontaine scored his 23rd at 4:35 of the second period. Late in the period he set up Brent Sutter for the goal that put the Islanders in front to stay.

Mike Bossy scored his 46th goal in a four-goal Islander flurry in the last period.

St. Louis 6, Quebec 3--Mark Hunter, the Blues’ top scorer, scored his 40th and 41st goals at Quebec to lead the Blues to victory over the slumping Nordiques. Quebec has lost 8 of its last 10.

Edmonton 6, Vancouver 2--Jari Kurri scored two goals and Wayne Gretzky had four assists at Vancouver to lead the Oilers to an easy victory.

Kurri has scored 50 goals for the third consecutive season. Gretzky has 132 assists. He needs four more in the last 15 games to break his own record.

Calgary 6, Pitttsburgh 3--Doug Risebrough had a goal and two assists at Calgary to lead the Flames to victory.