Carter scores twice, Biron strong as Flyers down Leafs

Martin Biron made 41 saves and Jeff Carter scored twice, including the game-winner, as Philadelphia got past Toronto, 4-1, at the Wachovia Center.

Mike Richards and Andrew Alberts lit the lamp for the Flyers, who have won two in a row and improved to 4-0-2 in their last six games.

Alexei Ponikarovsky scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost three in a row and seven of nine. Vesa Toskala stopped 26 shots in defeat.

Ponikarovsky's backhanded poke through the crease 41 seconds into the third period produced a 1-1 tie, but that was as close Toronto got to a win.

Carter broke out of a four-game goal slump and gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead, streaking down the right side and lifting a backhander under the crossbar for a power-play goal at 5:59.

Alberts then snapped a 163-game goal drought with 8:59 left in regulation. Scottie Upshall carried down the right wing, turned at the bottom of the right circle and dished to the defenseman at the inner edge of the left circle for a snap shot through Toskala's pads.

Toskala went to the bench with a little over two minutes to play and Carter picked up his second of the game into the empty net with 1:48 remaining.

Richards connected off a cross-ice feed from Simon Gagne for a power-play goal and 1-0 Flyers lead 6:41 into the contest.

In a scoreless second period, Biron made 18 saves and Toskala had 11 stops. The Toronto netminder had more quality chances to halt, including several short-handed opportunities by Carter along with twin stops on a Richards breakaway and follow-up from Gagne.

Game Notes

The triumph extended the Flyers' home win streak to eight and they improved to 12-0-2 in their last 14 home games, after a regulation 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay on November 8...Carter broke a tie with both Thomas Vanek of Buffalo and Washington's Alex Ovechkin -- both of whom were held scoreless on Saturday -- and leads the NHL with 29 goals...Alberts' last goal came as a member of the Boston Bruins on March 12, 2006...Philly improved to 17-1-5 when scoring first.