Jeff Carter set up two Philadelphia goals with cross-ice passes, Antero Niittymaki made 25 saves and the Flyers closed within a point of New York for the Atlantic Division lead in a 4-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday.
The Rangers could have clinched their first Atlantic Division title since winning the Stanley Cup in 1993-1994 with a victory, but wrapping up that milestone again will have to wait. They lost their fourth straight game and finish the season Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against Ottawa.
But the Flyers took control of the division Saturday despite still being in second place. If Philadelphia wins its last two games, they would win the Atlantic and clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, no matter what happens to the Rangers. That won't be easy for the Flyers, since both games are on the road, starting Sunday at New Jersey. Philadelphia finishes the season Tuesday against the Islanders.
Mike Knuble, Nicholas Dimitrakos, R.J. Umberger and Petr Nedved scored for the Flyers.
Marcel Hossa scored his 10th goal late in the second for New York.
Thrashers 4, Bruins 3
At Atlanta, Andy Sutton scored twice, including the tie-breaking goal with 10:51 remaining, and Atlanta kept alive its postseason hopes.
Sutton's second two-goal game of the season came four days after his first in a crucial 6-2 win over Tampa Bay, the team the Thrashers are chasing for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
For a few hours, Atlanta was within one point of Tampa Bay for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But the Lightning beat Carolina 3-2 in overtime Saturday night, restoring a three-point margin over the Thrashers.
Atlanta must win its final two games -- at Washington on Monday and at Florida the following night -- to have any chance of making the playoffs. Even then, either the Lightning or seventh-place Montreal must lose its final regular-season game on Tuesday.
Scott Mellanby and Jim Slater also had goals for Atlanta.
Mariusz Czerkawski, Marco Sturm, and Travis Green scored for Boston.
Lightning 3, Hurricanes 2, OT
At Tampa, Florida, Martin St. Louis' breakaway goal with 10.7 seconds remaining in overtime moved the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning a step closer to clinching a postseason berth.
Brad Richards and Fredrik Modin also scored for Tampa Bay, which snapped a three-game losing streak despite squandering a 2-0 lead in the third period. John Grahame stopped 25 shots, and the Lightning killed off Carolina's last power-play chance before St. Louis delivered the winner after picking up the loose puck near the red line.
The victory enabled the eight-place Lightning to retain a three-point advantage over ninth-place Atlanta, which had pulled within one point with a 4-3 victory over Boston earlier in the day. Tampa Bay has 92 points with one game remaining at home against Washington on Tuesday night. Atlanta has 89 points with two games remaining -- at Washington on Monday and at Florida Tuesday night.
Carolina, which won a shootout against Tampa Bay in Raleigh on Friday night, rallied on third-period goals by Cory Stillman and Matt Cullen and took over sole possession of the top spot in the East with 112 points -- one more than Ottawa.
Sabres 4, Canadiens 2
At Montreal, Chris Drury and J.P. Dumont scored early in the third period and Teppo Numminen added an empty-net goal for Buffalo.
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