Flyers push Devils to brink with 4-1 victory

AFTER WATCHING Martin Brodeur rob Simon Gagne early in the second period with one of the best saves in Brodeur's illustrious career - one that will surely be replayed on highlight films around the country today - Flyers forward Jeff Carter gulped, took a deep breath and hopped over the boards.

Carter witnessed the type of Brodeur save that has swallowed opponents and entire playoff series in the past.

"I've never seen a save like that before," Carter gushed. "It was something to see."

Carter, who had not scored since before he fractured a foot bone on March 21, was not daunted.

Less than 5 minutes after that miraculous save, Carter wheeled around the circle to Brodeur's right and blasted a wrist shot to his left - a shot that, as it spun around the back of the net, broke Brodeur's mental lock on the Flyers' psyche and simultaneously knotted the game at 1-1.

Game 4 of the Flyers' Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with the Devils changed at that very moment.

Danny Briere roasted Brodeur with a top-shelf slap shot 8:19 later and the Flyers rolled to a 4-1 victory, giving them a 3-1 stranglehold on their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series that resumes tomorrow night in Newark, N.J.

The Flyers are 17-2 in best-of-seven series when leading 3-1. Their last loss when leading at that juncture was, of course, to the Devils in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals.

Carter, who chipped in with two goals - his second came 9:28 into the third period, long after the game had been decided - and Briere both scored for the first time in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. No member of the Flyers' first line, which includes Scott Hartnell, had scored in the first three games.

"It took a while to get going," Carter said. "It felt like every game I've gotten strong and a little more confident. It's not easy coming back at any time of the year from an injury, especially the playoffs, when the level is so high."

Briere said at the Flyers' practice on Monday that he was not frustrated, that he thought he would eventually be rewarded for sticking with shooting early and often against Brodeur. He had three shots on the Devils' future Hall of Famer last night and assisted on both of Carter's goals.

"I thought it started going [for us] in Game No. 2," Briere said. "The last game, Game No. 3, was probably our best game, but the puck didn't go in. Tonight, we got rewarded. Everybody wants to chip in, and everybody wants to do their part. It feels good to help out the team."

As if the Devils had not suffocated under Brodeur's collapse in the second perod, the wheels really fell off New Jersey's bus after Dan Carcillo's strange-angle shot beat Brodeur 4:10 into the third period.

It was Carcillo's second goal in as many games.

The Devils went to the penalty box four times after Carcillo's goal, leading to Carter's second goal - a redirection of a Chris Pronger slap shot - on the power play.

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond turned the Wachovia Center into a 19,709-member circus when he took out his frustration on Carcillo with 3:27 left. Each received a 10-minute misconduct.

The game didn't start the Flyers' way. They took three minor penalties in the first period, allowing Devils sniper Ilya Kovalchuk to heat up with a slap shot, power play goal in the first 13 minutes.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said the Devils' start was the best New Jersey has skated all series. But the Flyers - and Brian Boucher - fanned the flames. The Flyers' penalty kill was 7-for-8.

Boucher, who stopped 30 of 31 shots, was in net for the Flyers when they coughed up that 2000 series to the Devils. The Flyers did not allow an even-strength goal in either of their two home games.

Now, heading back to New Jersey, Boucher knows the Flyers have their work cut out for them.

"It's nice to be up, 3-1, but there's a lot of work to do," Boucher said. "If there's one thing I know, it's not over until it's over."

"They always say that the last win, the fourth win, is always toughest to get," Briere said. "We know it's not going to be easy, in their building. They're going to come out pretty desperate on Thursday. We have to find a way to match that intensity without taking penalties.

Heading back to New Jersey, Boucher said he couldn't help but think about blowing the series in 2000 to the Devils - who have a core nucleus of the same players.

"It's hard not to think about it now," Boucher said. "Hopefully, the script is written different this time."

The Devils are 1-7 in playoff series when they trail, 3-1, their only win coming against the Flyers in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals . . . The Flyers blocked 25 shots last night, their highest total of any game in the series so far . . . The Flyers are 8-2 against the Devils this season, including the playoffs . . . Chris Pronger picked up two assists and played 27:58 . . . Only Lukas Krajicek, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent and Ian Laperriere failed to register a shot on goal for the Flyers . . . Jeff Carter led the Flyers with five shots . . . The Flyers outhit New Jersey, 33-21 . . . Arron Asham and Dan Carcillo each chipped in with six hits.

For more news and analysis, read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.