Flyers fired coach Peter Laviolette after three

PHILADELPHIA -- It didnt take the Philadelphia Flyers too long to even their record after an awful start. Matt Read scored two goals, Steve Mason made 36 saves, and the streaking Flyers beat the New York Islanders 5-2 on Saturday night. The Flyers are 10-10-2 after their sixth win in seven games. They are 6-0-1 in that span and 9-3-2 since a 1-7 start. "When we were 1-7, one of our goals was to get to .500," Read said. "We have to continue to build off this and keep going." Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn also had goals for Philadelphia. The Flyers fired coach Peter Laviolette after three straight losses to open the season. Craig Berube took over and went 1-4 before getting things turned around. "Its a great effort by the players," Berube said. "Theyve listened, they believed, they bought in and they work hard." John Tavares and Eric Boulton scored for the Islanders, who have lost eight of 10, including all three games on their road trip. "As coaches, if we were looking at it and it was structurally or systematically, we would change it for sure," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "When you talk about battle level or when you talk about protecting the wall and not protecting the danger area, that to me, you dont change that, thats hockey. Theres nothing you can do about that. "You have to win your battles. Weve played many systems since Ive been here, but systems dont work unless you battle. Im not faulting on the battle level tonight, but a couple of plays we broke down because we were on the wrong side of the puck." After scoring just 22 goals in their first 15 games, the Flyers have 26 in the last seven. They netted their first three goals against the Islanders in a bunch. Read and Simmonds scored 59 seconds apart to put the Flyers ahead 2-0 early in the second period. Giroux made it three goals in 3:02 for a 3-0 lead. "Were playing better, but we have a long way to go," Giroux said. "Everybody is contributing. Its a lot more fun." Read scored his third goal in two games with a slap shot from the slot off passes from Sean Couturier and Steve Downie. The trio, the Flyers third line, has combined for 13 points in three games. "They work hard as a line, they dont get out of position and they play the system to a tee," Berube said. Simmonds then took a pass from Vincent Lecavalier on a rush up ice and wristed a shot that beat goalie Kevin Poulin to the short side over his glove. Giroux scored a power-play goal with a one-timer from the left circle off a behind-the-back pass from Simmonds. That goal ended Poulins night. He was lifted for Anders Nilsson. After the Islanders got within 3-2, Schenn scored with 7:39 left to give the Flyers a two-goal cushion. Schenn lifted a shot over Nilssons glove just under the crossbar. Read scored an empty-net goal in the final minute to seal it. Despite playing their second game in two nights, the Islanders -- following Fridays loss at Pittsburgh -- made the Flyers look like a tired team in the third period. "The second half of the game, I think we were the better team," Nilsson said. "I think as long as we can play like that for the full 60 minutes then we can win some more hockey games." Tavares scored on a backhander off a perfect pass from Thomas Vanek to cut it to 3-1 late in the second. It was just the second even-strength goal allowed by the Flyers in seven games. Boulton scored his first goal in 73 games to get the Islanders within one goal 2:39 into the third. Boulton was alone in front when the puck trickled through off a faceoff, and he backhanded it past Mason. Tavares had a chance to tie it a few minutes later but Mason made the save. The Islanders had several chances before Berube called a timeout and calmed his team down. "We were on our heels, but we did what we needed to do to get the win," Berube said. NOTES: The Islanders, 14-6-4 on the road last season, are now 3-9 away from home this season. ... The Flyers are 16-1-2 at home vs. the Islanders since the 2007-08 season. ... The Islanders are 0-11-1 when they score fewer than three goals. ... Girouxs goal gave Philadelphia power-play goals in six straight games. He has three in seven games after starting the season with no goals in the first 15. Gordon Hayward Jersey . "Im proud of him," Jones said in an interview from Sacramento, site of the UFCs weekend televised card. "I think hes listening to his body and hes doing what makes him happy and thats what life is about ultimately. Bill Russell Celtics Jersey . - The Toronto Blue Jays have optioned pitchers Kyle Drabek, Chad Jenkins and Sean Nolin to triple-A Buffalo. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Bill-Russell-Jersey/ .com) - Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is joining the Major League Baseball Players Association staff as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark. Reggie Lewis Celtics Jersey .Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts. Jayson Tatum Celtics Jersey . For one, he still gets to crank the intensity to the max. "I push pretty angry. I ran pretty angry too though, but I have fun doing it," Lumsden said.MINNEAPOLIS -- With their rotation depleted and the new slugger sidelined by a rash of injuries, the Texas Rangers have been forced to find alternate methods for winning. Its working quite well in late May. Leonys Martin doubled twice and scored three times, including the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Rangers beat Minnesota Twins 5-4 on Thursday to win their second straight four-game series on the road. "Those guys have had to grind, and everybody has had to have been used," said manager Ron Washington, who has seen starting pitchers Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and Martin Perez and first baseman Prince Fielder hit the disabled list as well as key hitters Jurickson Profar, Geovany Soto and others. "So thats the way you play team baseball, and thats exactly what were doing." Shin-Soo Choo hit a three-run double in the second for the Rangers, but the Twins took a 4-3 lead in the fifth inning on Josh Willinghams first home run of the season, a no-doubt drive to the second deck above left-centre field. Then the role players took over for the Rangers. Alexi Ogando (2-2) got four outs for the victory, and Joakim Soria retired the last two batters for his 10th save. Soria saved the last two games of the series after he had his first blown chance of the season in Tuesdays 4-3 loss. Martin hit a leadoff double in the eighth against Casey Fien (3-2), moved up on a sacrifice bunt and sprinted home on a sacrifice fly by Rougned Odour, beating a sweep tag by catcher Josmil Pinto. The throw by centre fielder Danny Santana, a rookie shortstop playing out of position, was off the plate and up the line. "He has to make a perfect throw to throw me out in that situation," Martin said. The Rangers tied it at 4 when Martin doubled and scored on Robinson Chirinos single in the sixth. Samuel Deduno gave up nine hits while striking out two and was removed with one out in that inning. With eight wins in their last 11 games, including three of four at Detroit last week, the Rangers have begun to find theeir stride.dddddddddddd That was evident in the second inning, when bases-loaded, nobody-out situations for both teams went opposite ways. Deduno moved within one strike of escaping without any damage after an infield popup and a strikeout. But Choo, who served as the designated hitter to give his sore left ankle a break from left field with the short turnaround from the night before, drove a 2-2 curveball down the left-field line. "I have to be better," Deduno said. Alex Rios, who stretched his hitting streak to 12 games, started that rally with a sharp single. Martin scored easily from first base to put the Rangers ahead 3-0. "I was thinking home plate all the way," Martin said. Nick Martinez dodged trouble in the bottom of the frame when Pinto sent a soft roller back to the mound. After a short throw home for a forceout, Martinez got Eduardo Escobar to line hard into a double play. The rookie was charged with more than three earned runs for the first time in five starts. He allowed nine hits and walked two in 5 2-3 innings. "It was a learning experience for him today, to go out there and keep his team in the ballgame when he didnt have his best stuff. That was awesome right there," Washington said. Trevor Plouffe and Willingham hit RBI singles in the third, but the Twins have only 14 runs in their last seven games, going 6 for 52 with runners in scoring position. "Thats the main focus, getting guys on, but we cant get them in," second baseman Brian Dozier said. NOTES: Washington held SS Elvis Andrus out of the lineup to rest for the first time this season. ... Deduno walked Martin, ending a streak by Twins pitchers of 131 straight batters without an unintentional walk. ... The Rangers start a three-game series Friday at Washington, with RHP Colby Lewis (4-3, 5.10 ERA) pitching opposite Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg (3-4, 3.42 ERA). ... The Twins will be in New York for three games, with RHP Ricky Nolasco (2-5, 6.12 ERA) taking the mound Friday against Yankees LHP Vidal Nuno (1-1, 5.49 ERA). ' ' '