PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Flyers picked up where they left off last spring against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marcus Ragnarsson scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, leading the Flyers to a 3-1 victory over Toronto in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Thursday night.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Philadelphia.

The Flyers beat the Leafs in a grueling first-round matchup last year that amounted to the equivalent of nine games – seven games and seven overtimes.

The series opener wasn’t quite as physical as any of the games from last spring, but there were several hard checks and solid hits.

Tony Amonte and Simon Gagne also scored for Philadelphia, coming off four days of rest after eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils in five games.

Alexander Mogilny scored for Toronto, which advanced with a victory over Ottawa in Game 7 on Tuesday night.

Robert Esche had 22 saves, outplaying Ed Belfour after proving himself against reigning Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur in the first round.

Esche preserved a one-goal lead with a stick save on a close shot by Ron Francis seconds into the third period. He made an outstanding glove save on a one-timer by Bryan McCabe just 34 seconds into the game.

Belfour stopped 23 shots in a subpar performance. Belfour, the only goalie still in the postseason who has won a Stanley Cup, had a superb series against Ottawa, tying an NHL record with three shutouts.

Both teams were without key players. Defensemen Kim Johnsson (hand) and Eric Desjardins (forearm) sat out for Philadelphia. Johnsson could return soon, while Desjardins will miss the playoffs. Leafs captain Mats Sundin (leg) missed his fourth straight game and forward Owen Nolan (knee) remained sidelined. Both might play in the series.

Ragnarsson put the Flyers ahead 2-1 early in the second period, beating Belfour with a hard slap shot from just inside the blue line. Michal Handzus backhanded a shot that caromed around the boards all the way to Ragnarsson, whose shot hit Toronto center Nik Antropov’s left leg on its way in.

Gagne scored with 4:25 left to seal the win.

Seconds after the Flyers nearly took a 2-0 lead, when Belfour turned around to smother a puck that trickled between his legs, Mogilny tied it at 1 with a fluke goal.

Mogilny carried the puck down the right side and backhanded a centering pass to Gary Roberts that bounced off Philadelphia defenseman Mattias Timander’s skate and past Esche.

Amonte gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead in the first period, scoring off a rebound of a shot by Jeremy Roenick. Belfour stopped Roenick’s slap shot from the left circle, but Amonte lifted the rebound over Belfour’s right shoulder and just under the crossbar.

The Flyers perhaps had too much rest after beating New Jersey. They weren’t nearly as sharp with the puck as they were against the Devils. The Leafs didn’t show many signs of being weary after a sluggish start in the first period.

The Flyers killed two penalties in the opening five minutes, allowing the Leafs just one shot – McCabe’s one-timer – during that span. Toronto didn’t get another shot until Mogilny scored with 5:32 left in the period.

Notes: The Leafs allowed the first goal for the first time in eight games this postseason. They were the first team in league history to score first in each game of a seven-game series. The Flyers have scored first in each of their six games. … The Flyers won the season series 3-1, outscoring Toronto 17-5. … Ragnarsson scored his second playoff goal in 60 games.

AP-ES-04-22-04 2212EDT