NEW JERSEY VS. CAROLINA OTTAWA VS. TORONTO WASHINGTON VS. PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA VS. BUFFALO COLORADO VS. VANCOUVER DETROIT VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. EDMONTON ST. LOUIS VS. SAN JOSE

Thursday, April 19 Updated: April 20, 12:42 PM ET Primeau central to Philly's survival By Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA – One brief moment of hockey illustrated the Philadelphia Flyers' identity – and why Keith Primeau is the one who provides it. Primeau makes Recchi, right, more dangerous because he opens space for the speedy winger. During Thursday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs. Buffalo, Primeau drove hard to the net at 7:20 of the third period with the Flyers leading 3-1. With James Patrick clawing all over him, Primeau crashed through the crease and into the right post, taking out Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek. The Dominator, so incensed by the play because he thought Primeau was going after his knees, slammed his blocker to the ice. The tantrum earned Hasek a 10-minute misconduct. There was no power play. No more goals were scored in the Flyers' win. But plenty of progress may have been made by derailing the Hall of Fame goalie. That ability -- coupled with two assists, wins on key faceoffs and the generation of mayhem all while playing on a bum knee -- is how the 6-foot-4 center gives the Flyers an identity they haven't had since Eric Lindros led them to the Cup finals in 1997. "I don't know what happened. He just came unglued," said Primeau of Hasek. "We went to the net, but no more or less than in the past. Part of my game is to create chances through my physical play." Since Primeau returned from a knee injury in Game 3, the Flyers have won two games and lost one in overtime. They are a different team with him in the lineup, mainly because Primeau completes one of the league's elite lines, along with Simon Gagne and Mark Recchi. During the regular season, the trio combined for 88 goals, 121 assists and 209 points in 82 games. In the first two games of the series – both Philadelphia losses – Recchi's lone goal was the only point between the two speedy wings. With Primeau between them the past three games, Recchi has a goal and two assists, while Gagne has scored in each one. Primeau has three assists. "Having him back helps my confidence, for sure," said Gagne, 21, who no longer has to answer questions of whether or not his injured shoulder was the reason for his drought. "When he plays big, like a bull, people follow him," said defenseman Dan McGillis. "And he makes lanes for others, giving space for Gags (Gagne) and Recchs (Recchi). He takes lots of key faceoffs, and he's got a little mean streak in him." Primeau also gives the Flyers depth at center, a position where they are thin. By centering the top line, Primeau allows coach Bill Barber to move Daymond Langkow between John LeClair and Rick Tocchet, giving the Flyers a second line that can score. “ It gives them more depth, more scoring punch -- a guy with 70 points is going to help their team. It forces us to check them a little more. ” — Sabres forward Steve Heinze on Primeau's impact "Having him back does a lot of things for our club; we have two solid scoring lines," Gagne said. Buffalo forward Steve Heinze agreed: "(Primeau) gives them more depth, more scoring punch -- a guy with 70 points is going to help their team. It forces us to check them a little more." Primeau's presence – both physically and offensively – as well as the home-ice advantage of having the last line change during stoppages in play, changed the landscape of the series for Buffalo. "He controls a lot of the play," Sabres forward Chris Gratton said. "If you pay (too much) attention to him, it leaves someone else open, and he's doing a great job of finding the open man." Gratton is one of the few Sabres forwards with the size to challenge Primeau, but it has been 6-0 Curtis Brown who has been faced with the task of containing him. "He's so strong out front, and we have to box him out and get position on him," Brown said. Besides his size, talent and aggressiveness, Primeau posesses a major intangible: His teammates know he's playing hurt and returned early because his team needed help after falling behind in the series, 2-0. "We missed him dearly," Recchi said. "Even though he's definitely not 100 percent, his courage being out there is very important for our hockey club." Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

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