Belfour makes 72 saves in Toronto's triple OT loss

TORONTO (AP) -- The Philadelphia Flyers needed three overtimes to

put a winner past Ed Belfour.

Mark Recchi scored his second goal of the game with 6:06

remaining in the third overtime period to give the Flyers a

series-evening 3-2 victory Wednesday night over the Toronto Maple

Leafs.

Belfour made 72 saves before Recchi's wrist shot from the

faceoff circle hit the goalie's stick and barely trickled over the

goal line as the Flyers evened the best-of-seven Eastern Conference

playoff series a 2-2. Game 5 is Saturday night in Philadelphia.

"Eddie Belfour battled tremendously hard. He was great

tonight," Recchi said. "I was just trying to get it on net."

Jeremy Roenick also scored for the Flyers.

"That was two hockey games," Roenick said. "Eddie was

awesome. Eddie gave that team a chance to win the hockey game. They

almost did, but we were very fortunate."

Travis Green and Mats Sundin scored for the Leafs, who were

without leading scorer Alexander Mogilny. Clipped under the jaw by

a stick two nights earlier, Mogilny was advised by team doctors to

sit one out. He'll be re-examined Thursday.

The Flyers outshot the Leafs 75-38, setting a Philadelphia

playoff record for most shots on goal. Belfour's total saves was

one short of the playoff record New York's Kelly Hrudey set when

the Islanders beat Washington in four overtimes in 1987.

"The shots seem to be an incredible number," Toronto coach Pat

Quinn said. "Eddie's a trooper. He put us in a position to win but

we didn't do it."

Toronto, which beat Philly in double overtime on Monday night,

played its third-longest game in franchise history and longest

since 1943.

It was the second-longest game in Flyers history.

"This was a must win for us,'' Philadelphia captain Keith

Primeau said. "We're even instead of going home down 3-1."

Philadelphia won despite going 0-for-8 on the power play,

falling to 2-for-21 in the series.

Michal Handzus almost won it for the Flyers in the first

overtime, but his shot rolled over Belfour's pads and through the

goal crease.

Philadelphia goalie Roman Cechmanek made 36 saves. He robbed

Darcy Tucker in the second overtime with a kick save.

Belfour stopped John LeClair from scoring late in the second

overtime with a spectacular blocker save.

Recchi's bad-angle shot beat Belfour, giving Philadelphia a 1-0

lead at 1:16 of the first.

Green, who missed the first three games with a rib injury, tied

it with a short-handed goal at 4:06 of the first. Bryan McCabe

staked up the ice on a three-on-two before making a centering pass

to Green, who streaked toward the all alone before putting the puck

over Cechmanek's shoulder.

After Belfour turned the puck over behind the net, Roenick shot

the puck off Belfour's skate and in just 54 seconds into the

second.

Sundin gave the Maple Leafs the momentum by tying it at 2 on the

power play with a wrist shot over Cechmanek's shoulder at 1:51 of

the third.

Game notes

Shayne Corson quit the Maple Leafs on Monday, ending a

season marred by illness and waning production. Fans booed Corson's

name before the game. ... Tucker sent Roenick to the ice with a

crushing check in the first. Tony Amonte appeared to knock Tucker

out with an elbow to the head in the second. Tucker lay motionless

on the ice for a minute before getting up. He later yelled at

Amonte at the end of the second. .. Philadelphia outshot Toronto

37-10 in regulation. ... The Flyers managed just three shots during

a four-minute power play in the third.