Philadelphia – John LeClair had a goal and an assist in his first game of the season, and Robert Esche earned his sixth career shutout, leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.

Simon Gagne, Tony Amonte, Michel Handzus, and Marcus Ragnarsson also scored goals for the Flyers, who ended a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).

LeClair missed the first seven games of the season after breaking a bone in his left foot in training camp.

The Canadiens, who had won five of six, lost their second straight.

Esche was rarely tested and finished with 20 saves in his first win of the season. His best save came in the first period when he stopped Mike Ribeiro following a Flyers’ giveaway.

LeClair scored at 12:06 of the second period, taking a pass from Justin Williams behind the goal and flipping it off the back post and into the net to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 4-0.

Earlier in the period, LeClair picked up an assist when Williams found Handzus with a pass from behind the goal.

LeClair, acquired from Montreal in 1995, has scored 46 points (29 goals, 17 assists) in 31 games against his former team.

Gagne and Amonte converted rebounds within a span of 3:18 in the first period.

Gagne scored his first goal of the year at 5:38 when his shot bounced of the skate of Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray. Amonte’s goal came at 8:56, after Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore was unable to control a shot by Joni Pitkanen.

Thrashers 3, Leafs 2, OT

TORONTO – Marc Savard and Jeff Cowan scored 24 seconds apart in the third period, and Savard scored again with 15 seconds left in overtime as the Atlanta Thrashers rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.

The win came in front of the family of Dan Snyder, the Thrashers player who died Oct. 5 from injuries suffered in a car crash six days earlier. Snyder was from Elmira, Ontario, about 70 miles away.

Savard spoiled Ed Belfour’s shutout bid with 8:03 left by redirecting Vyacheslav Kozlov’s pass from behind the net. Moments later, Cowan skated from behind the net and scored when his backhand shot went off Belfour’s pads and in.

The Maple Leafs appeared headed for the fourth straight win when Tom Fitzgerald gave Toronto a 2-0 lead with 10:20 left, but Savard and Cowan quieted the crowd their goals.

In overtime, Atlanta defenseman Andy Sutton received an elbowing penalty and a unsportsmanlike penalty for smashing his stick against the glass, but it didn’t cost the Thrashers.

After Toronto’s Mats Sundin evened it up by receiving a hooking penalty, Savard flicked a wrist shot past Belfour for the win.

The Thrashers rented a private box for Snyder’s family.

, and in the first period, the Maple Leafs put a message on the scoreboard that read “To the Snyder family and the Atlanta Thrashers. Over the past few weeks the Toronto Maple Leafs and the people of Toronto have been thinking about you.” A standing ovation followed and players on both benches tapped their sticks on the ice.

Fitzgerald scored and had an assist for the Maple Leafs.

Belfour twice robbed Ilya Kovalchuk, the NHL’s leading scorer. He stacked the pads on a one-timer in the first and made a spectacular glove save on a point-blank shot in the second.

Fans chanted “Eddie! Eddie!” after the glove save.

Toronto’s Gary Roberts streaked toward the net and converted Fitzgerald’s cross-ice pass, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead at 6:14 of the first.

Fitzgerald gave Toronto a 2-0 lead by scoring on a partial breakaway after Sutton turned the puck over.

Notes: For the second straight week, Kovalchuk has been named the NHL’s offensive player of the week. Kovalchuk joins Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux (1992-93) as the only players to open the regular season with consecutive player of the week honors since the award was established in the 1980-81 season. … Atlanta goalie Pasi Nurminen has started all nine games for Atlanta. … Belfour, 38, signed with Toronto after Curtis Joseph departed for Detroit before last season.

AP-ES-10-27-03 2233EST