It was very important to close this one out

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PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Girouxs teammates had a feeling he would end his 21-game goal drought Saturday. Custom Orlando Magic Jerseys . "I knew he was going to score tonight," Wayne Simmonds said. "I think he could kind of feel it. Hes getting a million chances all year long, and then finally he put that one in." Girouxs third-period goal in the Flyers 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers was his first of the season, and first since April 15. Jay Rosehill, Scott Hartnell and Vinny Lecavalier also scored for the Flyers, who had more than two goals for only the second time in 16 games this season. But for Giroux, the goal was more than a goal. "It was obviously a lot of relief," Giroux said. "To see all the boys on the bench being happy too, I think that was really fun. But you know what, its a big win for us. And we go on the road now, and weve got to get on a roll here." David Perron and Taylor Hall scored for Edmonton. Ilya Bryzgalov, the former Flyers goalie who signed with the Oilers on Friday, was not at the game. The game marked the Flyers first win at the Wells Fargo Center since Oct. 24 against the New York Rangers, and ended a stretch of 175:22 during which they had gone without a goal at home -- a franchise record. They seemed to surprise the Oilers, who were expecting to face far less pressure from a Flyers team that ranks last in the NHL in goals per game. "That was a team that had been described as fragile," Hall said. "But I thought they came out and played really hard and won a lot more battles than we did." The Oilers, actually, controlled the pace early. It wasnt until Giroux drew an interference call on Anton Belov at 7:20 of the first period that his team woke up. The Flyers didnt score during the power play, but Rosehill did at 11:56, just moments later. Mark Streit, who set up Rosehills goal, also set up the goal that followed it with a cross-ice pass to Hartnell at 17:16. The Flyers first period was their first multi-goal period since they hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 29. It was the fourth period all season the team scored more than a single marker. "Probably everybodys a little bit surprised with their struggles with scoring so far this year with the personnel they have," Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk said. Despite being largely outplayed in the games final two periods, the Oilers managed to stay within a goal for most of the afternoon. They cut the Flyers lead in half when Perron scored on the power play at 18:25 of the second period. Third periods have been the Flyers worst all season - as a number of players have said, theyve often found ways to lose. But they took to heart words that were shared during a players-only meeting Thursday, and hit the ice with confidence in the third period. Facing the NHLs worst defence didnt hurt, either. "The attitude in the room, if they get a late goal, usually were kind of down," Giroux said. "They got a late goal in the second, and you know what, the attitude was great. I was responsible for that goal at the end of the second, and guys stayed positive, and we just stayed with it and kept playing our game." Giroux, at 11:26, was the Flyer who beat Dubnyk next, to bring the score to 3-1. The crowd rose to its feet and stayed there as Giroux was greeted by Steve Mason, who left his crease to congratulate his captain. Mason finished with 24 saves. Hall again cut the Flyers lead to a single goal at 13:25, but it didnt last. Lecavaliers shot at 16:33 flew high over Dubnyks shoulder, and the Oilers simply couldnt fight their way out of their own zone in the little time that remained. With the win, the Flyers improved to 5-9-1. The Oilers (4-12-2) are last the Western Conference. For the Flyers, the win is something to build upon as they embark on a three-game trip, starting Tuesday in Ottawa. "Its great," Hartnell said. "We didnt hear a boo all night here at home, first time in a long time. Our efforts havent been great at home and we wanted a big effort 60-minute game and thats something we did tonight. "We have to continue that and carry that forward." NOTES: Edmontons Luke Gazdic (shoulder) left the game in the second period and did not return. Belov received a match penalty for a hit on Giroux. . The game was just the seventh of 16 this season in which the Flyers scored more than one goal. ... Edmontons power-play goal at 18:25 of the second period snapped a streak of 14 consecutive penalties killed by the Flyers over three-plus games. Penny Hardaway Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. Ryan Anderson Jersey . - Chelseas 1-0 win at the Etihad, spoiling Manchester Citys perfect home record continues to be the talking point of the week. https://www.cheapmagiconline.com/988i-we...magic.html . Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise.LOS ANGELES -- Joakim Noah played the final 6:53 with five fouls. Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau didnt want to take him out with the Bulls double-digit lead slipping away, and thats just the way the All-Star centre wanted it. Noah finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls held off the stubborn Los Angeles Lakers 92-86 on Sunday after nearly blowing a 19-point advantage. After picking up his last foul, Noah made a key block against 7-footer Chris Kaman and got a dunk at the other end -- all in a 16-second span. "It was too tight. Either we were going to win it with him, or that was going to be it," Thibodeau said. "At that point, I didnt think we could afford two or three minutes (with Noah on the bench), so we rolled the dice and were fortunate. Were a little short-handed right now -- and the way they spread you out on the perimeter, you need guys that can cover ground." Kirk Hinrich had 19 points and Taj Gibson added 18 for the Bulls, who never trailed against an injury-ravaged Lakers squad missing Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry. Gasol, who had a season-high 19 rebounds the previous time the teams met, missed his fourth straight game because of a groin strain. Kaman scored a season-high 27 points off the bench for the Lakers, who won their previous two games following a 3-19 slide that buried them in the race for a Western Conference playoff spot. The 11-year veterans point total was two off his career high, which came on Feb. 13, 2012, when he was playing for New Orleans against Dallas. "Hes been in the league for a long time, and hes one of the most skilled big men Ive ever seen ever since I was in high school," Gibson said. "He has both left and right-hand hooks, a mid-range game -- and once hes in a rhythm like he was today, its really hard to stop him." Point guard Steve Nash, playing his third game after missing 39 because of a nerve problem in his back, had eight points in 21-plus minutes before departing with 5 minutes left in the third quarter because of irritation in his left leg. The 18-year veteran and two-time MVP, who celebrated his 40th birthday Friday with a team-high 19 points in a victory at Philadelphia, was hit on the same leg he fractured last season. "It was just getting worse lately," Nash said. "But I wanted to play, especially when we are losing. You want to try to fight through it. Ive been through that before and I know where it goes, so I didnt want to risk it. I think it was the smartest decision to come out." Gibson,, whose buzzer-beating layup in overtime gave the Bulls a 102-100 victory over the Lakers on Jan. Darrell Armstrong Jersey. . 20 at Chicago, led the Bulls to a 52-46 halftime lead with 16 points. He made his seventh start of the season as Carlos Boozer missed his second straight game with a left calf strain. The Bulls, who finished their trip 3-3, opened with a 10-0 run while the Lakers missed their first six shots -- including an airball by Wesley Johnson on a 3-point try from 27 feet. Chicagos starters outscored Los Angeles starters 73-24. "We wanted to throw the first punch," Noah said. "We started off the game just going to Taj and he set the tone for us in the post." Gibsons reverse layup increased the Bulls margin to 15 before Los Angeles scored the next 12 points to slice the deficit to 42-39 with 5:55 left in the second quarter. But Chicago built its lead back up to 72-53, its biggest of the game, with a 15-5 run capped by Hinrichs 3-pointer with 3 1/2 minutes left in the third. Down by 13 with 6:37 to play, the Lakers narrowed the gap to 88-84 after Steve Blake stole the ball from Hinrich and Kaman fed Johnson for a slam dunk that capped a 13-4 run with 48.3 seconds left. But D.J. Augustin, who had 15 points off the bench, sank four free throws in the final 21 seconds to help seal the victory. The Bulls are 15-5 in games theyve led by at least 15 points. Thursday night, they blew a 16-point lead at Golden State and lost 102-87. "It was very important to close this one out, being the last game of the trip," Hinrich said. "Thats something we have to work on -- keeping our foot on the gas pedal and not relaxing. We didnt do that today, but well definitely take the win." Chicago is 19-20 since star-crossed All-Star Derrick Rose went down with his second major knee injury in three seasons. "The whole time Ive been here weve had some real tough injuries and weve always been at the egde, but we always crawl and fight our way back. Thats our mindset," Gibson said. "Weve got young guys, new guys, and they believe in the same thing. We believe weve got a shot at the playoffs. We believe in each other. And that shows by the way we play." NOTES: The Bulls starters outscored the Lakers starters 73-24. ... The Lakers have used 25 different starting lineups and the Bulls have used 18. ... The Lakers ended the first half with a stellar passing play started by Blake, in which four different players touched the ball on the fast break and Jordan Hill was left standing all alone under the basket for a layup with 0.06 seconds on the clock. ' ' '