Leighton, Flyers shut out Montreal again

Michael Leighton stopped 30 shots and recorded his second straight shutout as the host Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-0, last night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Danny Briere, Simon Gagne and Ville Leino scored for the Flyers. Game 3 is Thursday in Montreal.

The Flyers have scored 13 straight goals in the postseason since trailing 3-0 in Game 7 against Boston in the East semifinals.

Leighton has been impeccable since taking over for an injured Brian Boucher in Game 5 of the semis.

His season was considered over once he went down with an ankle injury in mid-March. Leighton has the Flyers two wins away from their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1997. The Flyers haven't won the Stanley Cup since the second of their consecutive championships in 1975.

Leighton's emergence was as timely as Gagne's return. He rushed back to the lineup in the semifinals after a broken toe and scored his sixth goal in six games since then.

Tallon to PanthersThe architect of the Chicago Blackhawks' recent resurgence is bringing his blueprints to Florida.

Dale Tallon was introduced as the new general manager of the Florida Panthers, saying he wants to turn around the franchise by focusing on the same principles that worked for the once-struggling Blackhawks.

"We're committed to building this team the right way, in a professional way, in a championship way," said Tallon, Chicago's former general manager. The Blackhawks played the San Jose Sharks late last night in the Western Conference finals.

"This is going to be a first-class organization all the way through." The move, which was announced by the team Monday, was heralded as a fresh start for a franchise with an embarrassingly long playoff drought. Florida hasn't been in the playoffs since 2000 and finished last in the Southeast Division this season. - AP