Philadelphia slide to NHL victory

Michael Leighton posted his second straight shutout with a brilliant 30-save performance to lift Philadelphia to a 3-0 win over Montreal in the second game of their semi-final series.

Danny Briere and Simon Gagne scored power-play goals, and Ville Leino scored for the Flyers, who seized a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Leighton is the first Flyers goalie to record consecutive playoff shutouts since Bernie Parent in 1975.

His shutout streak of 165 minutes, 50 seconds is the second-longest in team history behind Boucher's 184:45 in Philadelphia's run to the 2000 NHL Stanley Cup semi-finals.

The series now shifts to Montreal for game three on Thursday.

Philadelphia have scored 13 consecutive goals in the playoffs since trailing 3-0 in game seven against Boston in the quarter-finals.

Leighton has been superb since taking over from injured starter Brian Boucher in game five of the Boston series.

Briere has been just as good on the offensive side. "I'm just trying to ride the wave," he said.

Gagne gave the Flyers an emotional lift in the second scoring on a rebound after starting the play with a pass from his knees.

"I think I fell just before that. That's why I was right there when the puck came right on my blade," Gagne said. "I just had to push it in."

Leighton's season was considered over once he went down with an ankle injury in mid-March. Now he has the Flyers two wins away from their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 13 years.

The Flyers haven't won the Stanley Cup since the second of their consecutive championships in 1975.