Flyers' Briere beats Devils in overtime

Danny Briere had two chances to celebrate his overtime winner. The first time, his goal didn't count. The second time, he left no doubt and put away Game 1, once and for all.

Briere continued to stamp his name alongside Philadelphia's postseason greats, scoring the winning goal 4:36 into overtime and leading the Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Devils Monday in Philadelphia to open this Eastern Conference semifinal series.

"He has his ups and downs, but he just picks it up in the playoffs. And that's what matters," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "He's a guy who consistently gets it done."

Indeed, no Flyer is as clutch in the postseason as Briere. His second attempt at the winner counted minutes after his earlier goal was overturned on review because he kicked the puck into the net. He wasted no time making up for it, firing a slapper past Martin Brodeur for his seventh goal of the playoffs. Brodeur was screened in front by Philadelphia forward James van Riemsdyk.

"When you look at the replay, it's kind of obvious," Briere said of the reversal. "But I needed to stop pouting and get back my focus in overtime. I ended up getting a break."

Briere, who also scored in the second period, has 106 points in 104 career postseason games. "Is it pressure? I think it's fun," he said of playoff hockey. "When I have the opportunity, like I've had the past few years here, I try to take advantage of the opportunities."

The Flyers took the series lead in their first game in a week after eliminating Pittsburgh in Game 6. The Devils played their third consecutive overtime game after beating Florida in Games 6 and 7 to win their first-round series.

"I thought we played real well in the first," New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer said. "We just couldn't keep it up."

Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and Petr Sykora scored for the Devils, with Sykora's goal in the third period sending the game to overtime. Briere opened the scoring for the Flyers in the second period, and van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux also scored.

Coyotes 5, Predators 3: Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and Antoine Vermette each had a goal and an assist as host Phoenix took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. The Coyotes did not go into overtime for only the second time in eight playoff games.

-- AP