Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders

The AFC West champion Broncos are cruising along this season. They have won seven straight and look to continue their run against a very weak Raiders team, which has lost five games in a row.

Baltimore Ravens @ Washington Redskins

The Ravens suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Steelers last week. They should bounce back nicely against the Redskins. The Redskins still have their hopes alive for the playoffs and need to win this game to have a chance.

Dallas Cowboys @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have won four games in a row and stand one spot out of the playoffs (behind the Steelers by virtue of tiebreaker). The Cowboys’ defense looked weak in their Sunday Night Football win against the Eagles.

St. Louis Rams @ Buffalo Bills

The Rams pulled off a stunner against a good 49ers team. Nobody should count out the Rams just yet. Look for them to defeat an up-and-down Bills team in a close game.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The season keeps getting worse for the Eagles. They have lost eight straight games, many key players are injured and they sit in last place of the NFC. Meanwhile, the Bucs have been playing decent football and should win this matchup. They sit one game out of a playoff spot.

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers

The Falcons continue to show they are one of the best, if not the best, team in the NFL. They avenged their only loss of the season against the Saints and clinched the NFC South. The Panthers continue to struggle in all aspects. Expect a blowout by the Falcons in Charlotte.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Cleveland Browns

The Chiefs are coming off an emotional win over the Panthers. Despite that win, the Chiefs are playing a Browns team that has been playing well the entire season. This game may be close, but the Browns should come out on top.

San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers picked up a much needed win last week against the Ravens. If Charlie Batch can repeat his performance, or if Big Ben comes back, then the Steelers should roll over a Chargers team that hasn’t gotten anything going all season.

Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck proved again Sunday that he is a top-notch rookie. He led the Colts to a last second touchdown in their win over the Lions. The Titans haven’t played well the last two weeks, but should challenge Luck and the Colts.

New York Jets @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jets have some new life after beating Arizona last week. Mark Sanchez was benched in the win. The team could use the momentum from the win and build a winning streak. The Jags look improved, but they still have a lot of work to do on both sides of the ball.

Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings

The Bears were upset last week by the Seahawks. They should bounce back nicely against a Vikings team that looked like a playoff caliber team two weeks ago, but has since lacked effort. Back-to-back losses by the Vikings make this game a must-win. The Bears won their matchup two weeks ago and should easily win again.

Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers were taken down by the feisty Rams last week and need to rebound in order to gain momentum heading into the playoffs. Miami has lost four of five, but played the Patriots to a good game. Look for Miami to do the same against the 49ers; however, expect the 49ers to win.

Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks

The Cardinals have lost eight straight games and it won’t get much easier against the Seahawks. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks upset a good Bears team last Sunday and are alone in the final NFC playoff spot.

New Orleans Saints @ New York Giants

While Drew Brees should bounce back nicely after a career-worst game in Atlanta, the Giants are going to be too powerful on offense and defense. Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants have their minds set on another Super Bowl. Expect a hard-fought win for the Giants.

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers

The Packers won Sunday after getting humiliated the week before against the Giants. Look for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to down the Lions at Lambeau Field. The Lions lost a heartbreaker to the Colts in the final minute last Sunday. This game should be close as the Packers jockey for a playoff position and the Lions try and play spoiler. This should be an entertaining game on Sunday Night Football.

Houston Texans @ New England Patriots

Are you ready for some football? This could be a game for the ages. The Texans are the best team in the AFC and the Patriots are second. The Texans have the edge for the best all-around football team. The defense of the Patriots has some holes. Expect a close game in favor of the Texans.

New Orleans @ Atlanta

Atlanta has looked sluggish after their 8-0 start. Their only loss so far is come by the hands of Drew Brees and the Saints. Expect the Saints to sweep the season series.

Jacksonville @ Buffalo

The Jaguars look much better with Chad Henne under center. They almost knocked off the Texans in a thriller and then beat the Titans. This game may be close but Jacksonville will prevail.

Seattle @ Chicago

The Seahawks have been up and down all season. The Bears have looked good with Jay Cutler at quarterback. Chicago should roll over Seattle.

San Francisco @ St. Louis

These two teams battled to a tie in their last meeting. The 49ers don’t want that to happen again. San Francisco should win…as long as the quarterback drama doesn’t get in the way.

New England @ Miami

The Patriots have been putting up a lot of points during their current five-game win streak. Miami has been mediocre but will be no match to the Patriots with Tom Brady at the helm.

Arizona @ New York Jets

Arizona is starting their third-string quarterback and has lost seven straight. This game might be a way to turn things around. The Jets continue to struggle with Mark Sanchez. Maybe it’s time for Tim Tebow to start.

Indianapolis @ Detroit

Nobody expected the Colts to be in contention after an awful 2011 season and a rookie quarterback leading the team. Andrew Luck has led the colts to wins in five of the last six games. This game should be close and exciting.

Minnesota @ Green Bay

Both teams are coming off lopsided losses. The Packers have a much better team and Aaron Rodgers should bounce back well after a sub-par performance on Sunday Night Football.

Houston @ Tennessee

The Texans are having an extraordinary season and are sitting atop the AFC. This game should be a blowout in favor of Houston.

Carolina @ Kansas City

Both of these teams have been bad all season long, but the Panthers should muster enough to put away the 1-10 Chiefs.

Tampa Bay @ Denver

Peyton Manning has bounced back well after multiple neck surgeries last year. He has to be a legitimate contender for MVP (he already has four). The Bucs haven’t looked all that bad either. Expect this game to be somewhat close.

Cleveland @ Oakland

Cleveland is young and their record doesn’t look good, but they have played well all season. They look improved in the last few games and should put together their first winning streak since the beginning of last season.

Cincinnati @ San Diego

The Chargers have lost six of their last seven games, while the Bengals are winners of three straight. The Bengals will continue their playoff push.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers are weak and turn the ball over too much. As long as Big Ben is out or not up to par, the Ravens should win easily in Baltimore.

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Dallas lost on Thanksgiving despite big games from Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Expect the Cowboys to beat the turnover-prone Eagles in the NFC East matchup.

New York Giants @ Washington

The Giants looked outstanding on Sunday putting up 38 points against the Packers. They should do much of the same against an up-and-coming Redskins team.

Erin DiMeglio is unlike any girl in Florida. When she’s not at home doing chores, at school in class or babysitting, she is playing football as the only female quarterback on an all-male football team in Florida.

Although she is only the third-string quarterback for South Plantation High School, Erin DiMeglio is now the first female to ever play for a Florida high school football team in history. DiMeglio is only 17, a high school senior, but she has already attracted as much attention as any star athlete would hope to gain.

DiMeglio joined her first flag football league in fourth grade, where all but four players were male. When she was a freshman in high school, she became the quarterback of the all-girls flag football team, and was easily the best player on the team. According to her coach, Doug Gatewood, in a quote acquired by People magazine, “She can pretty much wing a girls’ football wherever she wants to put it.”

After Gatewood saw her capabilities, he allowed DiMeglio to practice with his football team. She quickly grew accustomed to differences between flag football and high school football and Gatewood put her on the team, seeing all of the advantages of having someone with an arm like hers on the field.

Through all of this, Erin DiMeglio has been extremely humble, according to her parents. “She’s got a pretty good grasp of it. She’s concerned about the attention on her, when she wants the attention on her whole team,” says Kathleen DiMeglio (quoted by ABC Action News).

The enormity of this milestone is not lost. Women have come so far in the past 20 or so years in regards to football. Fifteen years ago, women playing football amongst men was unheard of. Since then, over 500 girls have played in Florida alone, and Erin DiMeglio is the first to become a quarterback.

LONDON (AP) — Oscar Pistorius apologized Monday for the timing of his complaints about a rival’s blades following his defeat in the Paralympic 200-meter final, but insisted that officials need to change the rules to prevent some runners from getting an unfair advantage.

The so-called “Blade Runner” was surging to a third straight 200-meter gold Sunday night when he was overtaken close to the finish by Alan Oliveira, who is also a double amputee.

Pistorius then criticized Oliveira within minutes of the upset, claiming the Brazilian used longer carbon fiber prosthesis than should be allowed.

Paralympic officials insisted Monday that Oliveira did not break the rules and that the blades had been approved, and Pistorius said he should have waited before launching his outburst.

“I would never want to detract from another athlete’s moment of triumph and I want to apologize for the timing of my comments,” the South African said in a statement.

But the International Paralympic Committee has already agreed to meet with Pistorius to discuss his grievances over the formula used to calculate the acceptable length of blades.

“I do believe that there is an issue here and I welcome the opportunity to discuss with the IPC, but I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong,” Pistorius said. “That was Alan’s moment and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him.

“I am a proud Paralympian and believe in the fairness of sport. I am happy to work with the IPC, who obviously share these aims”.

Pistorius himself spent years fighting to convince the sports authorities that his blades didn’t give him an unfair advantage against able-bodied athletes, and that he should be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

He finally won his case in 2008 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and made his Olympic debut a month ago, reaching the 400 semifinals and the 4×400 relay final.

The blades that Pistorius uses were approved by athletics’ governing body for use in able-bodied meets, and he has opted to use the same ones for the Paralympics. Oliveira used visibly longer blades on Sunday to clock 21.45 seconds in front of an 80,000-strong crowd at the Olympic Stadium.

“These guys are a lot taller and you can’t compete (with the) stride length,” Pistorius said after Sunday’s race. “You saw how far he came back. We aren’t racing a fair race. I gave it my best. The IPC (International Paralympic Committee) have their regulations. The regulations (allow) that athletes can make themselves unbelievably high.

“We’ve tried to address the issue with them in the weeks up to this and it’s just been falling on deaf ears.”

While Pistorius tried to be more magnanimous later, he still claimed it was “ridiculous” that Oliveira could win after being eight meters adrift at the 100-meter mark.

“He’s never run a 21 second-race and I don’t think he’s a 21-second athlete,” Pistorius said. “I’ve never lost a 200-meter race in my career.”

Pistorius had the support of compatriot Arnu Fourie, who finished fourth and questioned Oliveira’s lengthened blades

“Ask anyone out there — does it look out of proportion?” Fourie said Sunday. “I think 99 percent of people are going to tell you, ‘Yes it does.’”

“If they are within the rules you can’t fight the athlete, so you’re going to have to fight the formula and fight the rule if we’re going to do anything about it.”

Pistorius will have to take on Oliveira in all of his events at these Paralympics. Next up is the 4×100 relay on Wednesday before Pistorius defends his titles in the 100 on Thursday and 400 on Saturday.

FERROL, Spain (AP) — Stephen Cummings won the 13th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Friday, and Joaquin Rodriguez maintained his overall lead.

Rodriguez stayed 13 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador and 51 seconds ahead of Tour de France runner-up Christopher Froome of Britain after all three crossed the line with the peloton. Alejandro Valverde of Spain trails by 1:20.

Contador will attempt to challenge for the leader’s red jersey during the weekend of mountain climbs.

”We should be moving into my type of terrain,” said 2008 champion Contador, who has the fresher legs after sitting out since February because of a doping ban. ”I hope to take advantage of the opportunity. I’m in good shape and I’ve prepared for this.”

Cummings broke off from the leading group about 2 miles from the finish line in the 107.4-mile leg. The Briton finished in 4 hours, 5 minutes, 2 seconds, while Cameron Meyer of Australia and Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain were 4 seconds behind.

German cyclist John Degenkolb, who has four stage wins, was seventh as the peloton crossed 40 seconds back.

The 93-mile stage Saturday features five category climbs including a steep finish at the top of Puerto de Ancares. The climbs include Monday’s stage, where Rodriguez expects the special category finish at Cuitunigru to be decisive.

”I need to maintain my lead, that’s clear. But if I feel good I’ll try to attack and gain some seconds,” Rodriguez said. ”I need to be wary of Alberto, and if I can leave him trailing behind, I will. It would be nice if he had a bad day.”

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Wayne Hunter saw it coming — just as everyone else did.

Rex Ryan announced Thursday that the veteran right tackle was demoted and replaced by Austin Howard as the starter for the New York Jets’ exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night. Hunter, who struggled last year and in the first two games of the preseason, was told of the team’s decision when he met with Ryan on Thursday morning.

“It wasn’t a surprise,” Hunter said after practice. “Everyone knows. The whole New York City (area) knows that I’ve been struggling for the last year. The last game, I didn’t do much better. So, I wasn’t surprised. I was just waiting for it, to be honest with you.”

Hunter will be used as the sixth offensive lineman — or as a blocking tight end, a role he performed well in during previous seasons.

“The more I thought about it, I need to see Austin with this group and going against Carolina’s starters,” Ryan said before practice. “And the fact, I want Wayne in this role. It’s a very valuable role that we have.”

The decision, which Ryan said Howard “earned,” came less than 48 hours after the coach said he expected Hunter to play with the starters against the Panthers on Sunday. Hunter had a lousy performance in the Jets’ 26-3 loss to the Giants on Saturday night, playing a part in three sacks of Mark Sanchez, and there would’ve been a fourth if it hadn’t been negated by a penalty.

“I want to help this team any way I can,” Hunter said. “And right now, it’s not at right tackle. I’ve had struggles and everyone has seen that. They’re just moving me back to a position where I excelled, did really well and helped the team to two AFC championships. They feel, and even I feel, like I can help the team more going back to those days.”

Hunter was given the night off from practice Tuesday at MetLife Stadium for what the Jets (No. 17 in the AP Pro32) called a “personal reason,” but he returned to the field Wednesday.

“Right now,” Ryan said, “I believe this is in the best interest of our team.”

Hunter was previously hailed by Ryan as “the best backup tackle in football” in 2010, when he took over for an injured Damien Woody. Hunter was the full-time starter last season and struggled as part of a line that gave up 39 sacks of Sanchez. But the Jets made it clear he was still in their plans for this season when they didn’t cut him before the start of free agency — allowing his contract to become guaranteed for $2.45 million.

Because of the guaranteed money, Hunter will not be cut, and the Jets confirmed that they are not actively seeking to trade him.

“I feel more comfortable,” said Hunter, appearing to be a bit relieved, “just because I’ve had so much success being a jumbo guy.”

Many fans and media have wondered why the Jets didn’t try to explore other options at the position in the offseason. The team stuck to its plan to have Hunter start, and new offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo was so confident in Hunter’s abilities, he told reporters in May: “Until they ship him out of this building or until they shoot me dead in my office, that son of a gun’s going to be the starting right tackle, and he’s going to play well.”

New York traded for former Carolina first-round draft pick Jeff Otah before training camp, but he failed his physical and was returned to the Panthers.

It appears it’s Howard’s turn now.

“Right now, I’m thinking that we’re OK,” Ryan said.

But he wouldn’t commit to Howard being the opening day starter when the Jets play the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 9.

“In all fairness, you are always evaluating your team,” Ryan said. “For me to sit here and say absolutely this is going to happen? If Jonathan Ogden called me up and said, ‘Rex, I’d like to come back,’ Jonathan Ogden is our starting right tackle. That would be a story.”

Ogden was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection for Baltimore who retired after the 2007 season.

The 25-year-old Howard was signed by the Jets off Baltimore’s practice squad last November and previously played in four games for Philadelphia in 2010. The Eagles signed the 6-foot-7, 333-pound Howard as an undrafted free agent out of Northern Iowa, where he began his career as a tight end before switching to offensive tackle in 2008.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen Week 1, but I’m just seeing this as an opportunity to get better,” Howard said.

Howard has had some good moments during training camp, and it was his potential that Ryan said kept the Jets from being extra aggressive in going after a right tackle.

“We were excited when we picked up Austin Howard,” Ryan said. “When he came in, I think he turned some heads, he really did. But to sit back and say we’re going to put all our eggs in that basket, we had to see it first.”

Howard has played in four regular-season games, all with the Eagles in 2010, with one start at left tackle.

“Let’s see how he performs this week,” Ryan said. “We’ll have a better understanding of how he works with his teammates, with (right guard) Brandon Moore and company. But he certainly has a great skill set as well.”

NOTES: Ryan said the Jets don’t plan to use their wildcat formation with Tim Tebow at all during the preseason. They have used Tebow only in a conventional-style offense so far in games, and as the personal punt protector on special teams. … Ryan anticipates Sanchez playing into the third quarter against Carolina on Sunday night, with Tebow playing the rest of the way.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider were overjoyed during the April NFL draft when the Seattle Seahawks were able to grab Russell Wilson in the third round.

Even they couldn’t anticipate that Wilson would be the Seahawks’ Week 1 starter.

Carroll announced Sunday night that the undersized, but highly successful rookie quarterback from Wisconsin will be the starter when the Seahawks open the regular season on Sept. 9 at Arizona. Wilson beat out Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson — in the process of being traded to Buffalo — for the starting gig.

“It’s been a very exciting competition that has gone on and Russell has taken full advantage of his opportunities and has done everything that we have asked for on the field and more than what you guys could know off the field in meeting rooms and with our players and how he’s represented. He’s earned this job,” Carroll said on a conference call Sunday night. “It was a legitimate competition as we said from the beginning and with the opportunity he’s taken advantage of he deserves to start.”

Wilson has been a dynamic star during the preseason. For the first two weeks, his performance came against backups during the second halves of victories over Tennessee and Denver.

But what Wilson displayed during those two halves were enough for Carroll to give him the start Friday night against Kansas City. Wilson’s response: 13-of-19 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 134.8. And if he didn’t show enough with his arm, Wilson added another 58 yards rushing.

His total preseasons numbers thus far are eye-popping: 35 of 52 (67.3 percent) for 464 yards, five touchdowns and a league-leading 119.4 QB rating. Wilson’s only preseason mistake was throwing a careless end zone interception against Tennessee.

Otherwise, Wilson’s been almost perfect.

“This isn’t just based on the quarters we’ve seen him play. This is based on the practice and the challenges that he’s undertaken here on the practice field,” Carroll said. “We’ve combined everything and with the circumstances that have been presented he won this opening challenge here.”

Wilson’s most recent performance had Seattle fans buzzing, with Twitter overrun with “Russellmania” comments Friday night as he picked apart the Chiefs. As the game progressed, most began accepting the idea that Wilson would be the starter.

Carroll said Wilson took the news in stride.

“He expects to be good and he expects to be successful and he expects to make plays,” Carroll said.

Wilson has been able to pick up the Seahawks offense quicker because of his experience playing in a West Coast offensive system in college. He spent his first three seasons at North Carolina State before transferring for his final year to Wisconsin. In Madison, Wilson led the Badgers to the Rose Bowl and was named the first-team, all-Big Ten quarterback.

“He is so prepared. He doesn’t seem like a first-year player,” Carroll said. “He seems like he’s been around. He gets it, he understands and he is a tremendous leader in that way. He doesn’t do anything but the right thing in all of his work and his preparation and his competitiveness has been demonstrated again.”

Wilson being named the starter leaves Flynn on the sidelines and according to Carroll understandably disappointed. Flynn was Seattle’s big free-agent splash in the offseason and the most highly sought after quarterback not named Manning after spending the last few seasons as Aaron Rodgers backup in Green Bay. But Flynn failed to show the same flashes as Wilson during his two preseason opportunities and sat out the game in Kansas City with a sore elbow.

Flynn’s injury isn’t considered to be severe, but sitting out against the Chiefs didn’t help his case for the job.

“Matt’s done a great job for us in every way, just the opportunities didn’t seem to come in as big a way as it did for Russell,” Carroll said. “He made the most of his.”

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Steve Van Buren, the square-jawed Hall of Fame running back who led the Philadelphia Eagles to NFL titles in 1948 and 1949, has died. He was 91.

The Eagles said Van Buren died Thursday in Lancaster, Pa., of pneumonia.

The former LSU star, nicknamed “Wham-Bam” for his quick and punishing running style, joined the Eagles in 1944 as a first-round pick. He led the NFL in rushing four times and finished his eight-year career with 5,860 yards rushing and 77 TDs.

The five-time All-Pro player was selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary Team in 1994, and was the first Eagles player elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I’ve seen them all — Jim Thorpe, Red Grange, Bronko Nagurski,” Greasy Neale, Van Buren’s coach with the Eagles, told the Philadelphia Daily News in 1957, “but he’s the greatest.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound back sustained a leg injury in training camp before the 1952 season and retired as the NFL’s career rushing leader. The Eagles later retired his No. 15.

“On the field and off, as a player, a leader and a man, Steve Van Buren embodied the finest characteristics of our city and our sport,” said Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles’ chairman and CEO. “He was a friend and an inspiration to generations of fans, and the model of what an Eagle should be.”

Van Buren set the Eagles’ single-game rushing record with 205 yards against Pittsburgh in 1949, and is second in team history with his 77 touchdowns. He also holds the club record for most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown with eight in 1947.

“Watch those old films and you know that Steve Van Buren was something special,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “He was special in person, too, humble about his own accomplishments and encouraging to others. His memory will be with Eagles fans for as long as this team takes the field.”

One of his most memorable plays came in the 1948 NFL championship game, played in a driving snowstorm at Shibe Park. He scored the only touchdown of the game on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter and the Eagles beat the Chicago Cardinals 7-0 for the franchise’s first title.

Nearly a year to the day later, this time in mud and torrential rain in Los Angeles, Van Buren ran for 196 yards and the Eagles beat the Rams 14-0 to become the first — and only — team to shut out opponents in consecutive championships.

Van Buren was born in La Ceiba, Honduras. His parents died when he was 10, and he moved to New Orleans to live with his grandparents. He failed to make his high school football team as a sophomore, but played well enough as a senior to earn a scholarship at LSU.

With the Tigers, Van Buren was used primarily as a blocking back until his senior season, when he led the nation in scoring with 98 points and rushed for 847 yards.

Van Buren is survived by three daughters.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Danny Briere wasted little time in making up for his misstep.

he Flyers put a slow start well behind them in the third and completely set the pace. They used a tremendous forecheck to stave off the Devils and played with more life in their skates than a worn-down Devils team that had only a three-day break. (AP)

Just minutes after having a goal overturned on review because he kicked it into the net, Briere scored the winner 4:36 into overtime, giving the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

“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.”

He took full advantage, firing a slapper past Martin Brodeur for his seventh goal of the playoffs. Brodeur was screened in front by Philadelphia forward James van Riemsdyk.

“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, who also scored in the second period and now 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.”

Game 2 is Tuesday.

The Flyers took the series lead in their first game in a week after eliminating Pittsburgh in Game 6 last Sunday. The weary Devils, meanwhile, played their third consecutive overtime game after defeating 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.”

The Flyers put a slow start well behind them in the third and completely set the pace. They used a tremendous forecheck to stave off the Devils and played with more life in their skates than a worn-down Devils team that had only a three-day break.

And then, there’s Flyers forward Claude Giroux. The postseason’s leading scorer got himself into the series in the third period, when he wound up from the circle and fired the puck high over Brodeur’s right shoulder for a power-play goal and a 3-2 lead. It was Giroux’s seventh goal of the postseason, perhaps living up to Laviolette’s bold claim as, “the best in the world.”

Veteran forward Petr Sykora wiped out the lead, though, when he raced past two defenders off a turnover and slipped the puck through Ilya Bryzgalov’s pads for a soft goal to make it 3-3. It was his first playoff goal since 2008.

But Briere was the difference in overtime.

“I think,” Laviolette said, “everyone expects it from him now.”

After finishing fifth in the East, the Flyers stormed to a 3-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and held on to eliminate their in-state rival in six games. That series was viewed as being more worthy of a conference final because of the talent and the 100-plus point totals for each club.

The Devils, the No. 6 seed, topped 100 points, as well, and were out to prove themselves worthy of Round 2. And in the first period, they did. Of course, the Flyers helped, as they carried over from the opening round their trend of falling behind, and showed again they are at their best when playing with a deficit.

“Nobody liked the first period. The players didn’t like it. I didn’t like it. No one liked it,” Laviolette said. “So, it was good to get through the first period, only down 1-0. And then for me, it started in the second period. We had the fire it took to be successful.”

Jakub Voracek made a nice pass from along the boards to Briere and he busted free alone on the open ice for the breakaway goal in the second. Van Riemsdyk knocked in a rebound and gave the Flyers a 2-1 edge only 37 seconds later. Van Riemsdyk stamped himself as a franchise cornerstone last postseason when he scored seven goals in only 11 postseason games and earned a $25.5 million, six-year contract extension. But he scored only 11 goals in 43 games in a season derailed by a broken left foot and a concussion.

But Van Riemsdyk came to play in Game 1, perhaps spurred on by playing his home state team. The native of Middletown, N.J., was key on the winner as well, as he stood tall directly in front of a prone Brodeur as the winner trickled by.

“Van Riemsdyk definitely pushed my stick over when he came across,” Brodeur said. “He didn’t do it on purpose. He was just going in front of the net. I got my position there, but it prevented me from making the save.”

There was no way that goal was getting a second look by the officials.

“They wouldn’t do that twice in Philly,” Brodeur said. “That’s for sure.”

Flyers fans who have suffered through decades of goaltending woes took great delight in chanting “Mar-ty! Mar-ty!” at the three-time Stanley Cup champion. Brodeur has faced the Flyers four other times in the postseason, winning twice.

Travis Zajac, who scored an overtime winner vs. Florida in Game 6, poked one past Bryzgalov for a power-play goal late in the second to tie the game. This all came from a Devils team that won a 3-2 double-overtime Game 7 thriller against Southeast Division-champion Florida on Thursday.

But the Flyers started the way they did the last two series against New Jersey — by winning Game 1. They eventually won those series in 2004 and 2010, reaching the Stanley Cup finals in the latter.

Opposing Brodeur was Bryzgalov, who had two shutouts and won all three starts against the Devils in the regular season. He allowed one goal on 76 shots.

So much for the regular season.

The Devils never stopped shooting on the rattled veteran in the first period. They took the first 11 shots before the Flyers finally lobbed the puck toward Brodeur from the blue line.

The Devils are now 2-3 on the road in the postseason and this was their first loss in overtime.

“If we came in and lost 6-0, maybe we’d talk about adjustments,” said Devils captain Zach Parise, who opened the scoring at 3:11 of the first off a feed from Patrik Elias. “We were right there. We had just as good a chance to win the game as they did.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — With a quick flick of his wrists, Jarret Stoll sent the Los Angeles Kings on to face St. Louis in the second round — and the Vancouver Canucks into the offseason a lot sooner than they expected after topping the NHL in the regular season.

Stoll beat Cory Schneider at 4:27 of overtime to give Los Angeles a 2-1 victory over Vancouver on Sunday night, knocking out the top-seeded Canucks in five games in the Western Conference first-round series.

“It’s special,” Stoll said. “It’s pride in the organization, and your team and your teammates and coaching staff. They’re a great team over there, it took a lot to beat them.”

Stoll scored from the left wing after a turnover at Vancouver blue line. The forward skated in on a 2-on-1, but took the shot himself, picking the top-left corner above Schneider’s blocker.

“I was shooting all the way there,” Stoll said. “I had a lot of room up top. I knew I had a 2-on-1. I knew that. But I didn’t even look twice.”

Brad Richardson tied it for Los Angeles at 3:21 of the third period, and Jonathan Quick made 26 saves.

“To close out this series, for me personally, and a few guys in the room, it’s something we’ve never done, so it’s a great feeling,” Quick said.

The Kings will play the second-seeded St. Louis Blues in the second round.

“You’ve got to give credit to the Kings,” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. “They played a real great series, a real tough opponent, played strong hockey, made the strong plays on the ice and, at the end of the day, they deserved to win.”

Vancouver was the third President’s Trophy winner in four years to be knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Washington lost to Montreal in the first round in 2009-10 and San Jose fell to Anaheim in the 2008-09 opening round.

While Vancouver had expected a deep Cup run, the Kings don’t see this series victory as anything more than the first step for them.

“It probably means a lot more to other people being a big upset and them being the Presidents’ Trophy winner,” Kings captain Dustin Brown said. “For this team it was what we were going for the whole time.”

Henrik Sedin opened the scoring for Vancouver with a power-play goal in the first period.

Schneider made 35 saves in his third straight start after Roberto Luongo lost the first two games.

“We had expectations and hopes to go far in this playoff,” Schneider said. “It seems like around the league, parity is running wild. Look at Pittsburgh, ourselves, Detroit, San Jose. New York’s facing elimination, Boston held it off today. We can’t take anything for granted. Anyone is capable of winning in this league.”

The Canucks dropped out in the first round after leading the NHL in regular-season points for the second straight year. Last season, they lost to Boston in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

“To be honest, it doesn’t matter if you lose the seventh game of the finals or you lose in five in the first round, it’s devastating,” Daniel Sedin said. “We have the mindset to win every year. When you end up on the losing side it’s tough.”

Vancouver’s new second line of Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows and Max Lapierre made a quick impression. Burrows fed Kesler from behind the net about a 90 seconds in, but Quick stopped the center’s shot from the slot.

The Canucks then ran into early penalty trouble and didn’t get another shot for 6 minutes before Lapierre put one on Quick. Vancouver killed penalties to Dan Hamhuis and Henrik Sedin, but couldn’t get its power play going on its first advantage.

However, with Henrik Sedin double-shifting, the Canucks capitalized on the second when the Vancouver captain put in a cross-ice pass from Daniel Sedin with 5:56 left in the period.

The opportunity came after Hamhuis kept Mike Richards’ clearing attempt in at the blue line.

Schneider preserved the lead when he stopped Anze Kopitar on a breakaway in the dying seconds of the first period. Kopitar put the rebound off the post as time expired.

Both goaltenders stole the show in the second period as neither team could score.

In the early going, Schneider stopped Kopitar’s first shot and Brown on the rebound as the Kings outshot the Canucks 6-0 in the first 4:11.

Later, Schneider robbed Richards on a rebound, snaring the puck with his catching glove. With just over 2 minutes left in the second, Quick stymied Daniel Sedin on a breakaway, lowering his right pad to block a snap shot. Sedin slammed his stick against the glass in frustration as he went to the bench.

Richardson drew the Kings even in the third, tapping in a pass from Drew Doughty. Doughty deked and circled around the Canucks’ Keith Ballard and passed the puck back to Richardson from the end line. It was the first goal of the series for Richardson, who missed the first three games while recovering from an appendectomy.

“Dewey just made a great play, had some good patience turning the D wide and made Schneider kind of commit,” Richardson said. “(Schneider) thought he was shooting, so he just sent it in front. Me, I was going to the net with my stick on the ice.”