Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Martin Biron made 36 saves to help the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, avoiding elimination in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals at the Wachovia Center.
Joffrey Lupul scored twice while Danny Briere and Jeff Carter each scored for the Flyers, who forced a Game 5, which will take place in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. Scott Hartnell had three assists in the game.
"Tonight's win gives us confidence and it's defniitely something to build off of," said Philadelphia forward Mike Richards. "Momentum is such a big thing in the playoffs. We will be going to Pittsburgh and maybe we can squeak out a win there."
Philadelphia is looking to become just the third team to come back from a 3-0 postseason series deficit. The New York Islanders achieved the feat in the 1975 quarterfinals against the Penguins and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs recovered from an 0-3 hole to defeat Detroit in the Stanley Cup finals.
"Every line stepped up and played equally well," said Flyers forward Scottie Upshall. "Our guys that needed to hit went out and hit and we had some big guys stepping up on defense."
Jordan Staal scored both goals while Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for the Penguins, who are looking to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1992.
The Flyers came storming out of the gates in the first period and took the play to Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead at the 8:27 mark of the opening frame as Lupul blasted a slap shot from the right circle that tipped off a Penguin stick and sailed over the left shoulder of Fleury.
The Flyers then scored a pair of power play goals to take a 3-0 lead into the second period.
With Sergei Gonchar in the box, Randy Jones blasted a shot from the high slot that Fleury stopped. However, Briere was behind the defense and swept in the rebound from down low with 8:12 left in the frame.
Towards the end of the frame, R.J. Umberger fired a shot from the right point that made it through a screen, but was stopped by Fleury. Carter, though, dug out the puck and backhanded it into the net with 1:10 left in the period.
Neither side got a puck into the net in the second period as Biron, who made 13 saves in the first period, stopped all 12 shots he saw in the second while Fleury turned aside nine.
Pittsburgh got on the board at the 3:16 mark of the third period as Tyler Kennedy fired a shot that hit the outside of the net, but Staal was there to bang the puck into the net from the low left side to make it a 3-1 game.
Staal made it a one-goal game with 5:49 to play as he one-timed a Kennedy pass from the left circle that beat Biron cleanly.
However, the Penguins were unable to get any more through and Lupul's empty- netter sealed the win.
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