The Dominators

Not to suggest that the Flyers have had their way with the Carolina Hurricanes, but . . .

The last time the Hurricanes defeated the Flyers in regulation, Peter Laviolette was the Carolina coach.

The Flyers' mastery of the 'Canes continued Thursday as they outlasted Carolina, 2-1, behind third-period, power-play goals by Jeff Carter and Danny Briere.

With a sellout crowd watching at the Wells Fargo Center, Carter snapped a scoreless tie 18 seconds into the final period. Later in the period, Briere took a slick feed from Claude Giroux and lifted the puck top-shelf to put the Flyers ahead, 2-0, with 8 minutes, 33 seconds left.

The Flyers are 15-0-3 against Carolina since their last regulation loss to the Hurricanes - a 2-1 decision on Dec. 19, 2006.

"What I like about tonight is that our power play won us a game . . . and it's been a while since we could say that," Briere, fighting a nasty cold, said in a raspy, barely audible voice.

Before going 2 for 6 with a manpower advantage on Thursday, the Flyers had scored power-play goals in just three of their previous 11 games.

Forty seconds after Briere's team-high 27th goal - one more than Carter - Carolina got to within 2-1 as Tuomo Ruutu scored on a rebound with 7:53 remaining. That ended Brian Boucher's shutout bid. The Flyers are the only NHL team without a shutout this season.

Earlier, Carter took a crafty feed from Mike Richards and fired a right-circle shot that deflected off the glove of goalie Cam Ward. It was Carter's 26th goal, briefly tying him with Briere for the team lead.

It was the Flyers' third straight win, all in tight-checking, playoff-type games. They started their latest winning streak with a 3-2 victory over Nashville, followed by a 3-1 triumph over Dallas.

Boucher, now 6-1 in his career against Carolina, made 31 saves as he outdueled Ward (23 saves).

"It was a tight game. It felt like a game that would be in the playoffs - not much there," said Boucher, referring to the lack of good scoring chances.

The Flyers are 15-4-5 in one-goal games. They have won their last eight one-goal decisions.

"The more you get in those situations, the more comfortable you feel," Boucher said. "And hopefully we'll be even more playoff-tested when we get there."

"I think we can play in those one-goal games, but I think we can play better," said Flyers coach Laviolette, who was unhappy with his team's sluggish second period. "Instead of defending in a one-goal game, you should be looking for more attack in your game."

The first period was one of the most boring 20 minutes of the Flyers' season. The teams combined for zero goals, 12 shots, and little sustained action.

Ward made his best save when he stopped Giroux's backhander with 5:08 left in the period. After a Jay Harrison turnover, Carter fed Giroux in front, but Ward made a sprawling save.

Late in the period, Boucher stopped Erik Cole's power-play drive from the left circle, thwarting one of the Hurricanes' few early chances.

From the outset, the Flyers flip-flopped wingers Nik Zherdev (one goal in his last 11 games) and Andreas Nodl (no goals in his last 16 games) in an attempt to change their fortunes. Zherdev was with Richards and James van Riemsdyk, and Nodl was with Carter and Giroux.

Giroux, having a breakout season, was injured blocking a shot early in the second period and was in pain as he limped to the locker room for medical attention to his left knee. The shifty center returned later in the period.

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