Flyers beat Lightning to end win drought

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two goals from

Simon Gagne helped the Philadelphia Flyers snap a franchise-record 10-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.

Peter Forsberg had three assists for the Flyers, who won for the first time since beating the New York Islanders on November 30.

Alexei Zhitnik and Gagne tallied in the first period around a goal by Tampa Bay's

Martin St. Louis to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead, before Gagne and

Sami Kapanen put the visitors up 4-1 by the end of the second.

But goals from

Filip Kuba and

Ruslan Fedotenko in the third got the Lightning back in the game, and the Flyers needed goaltender

Robert Esche to make some big saves in a tense closing few minutes to preserve the win.

Esche finished with 42 saves as last-placed Philadelphia recorded just their ninth victory in 37 games.

*

Ryan Miller made 29 saves as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.

*Dan Cleary recorded his first career hat-trick as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-4.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto)