Former Chiefs Make Presence Known

Pat Falloon, a former standout for the Spokane Chiefs, scored the tie-breaking goal at 5:51 of the third period, and the Philadelphia Flyers held on behind Ron Hextall’s goaltending to beat the struggling New York Rangers 2-1 on Wednesday in New York. Falloon has four goals this season.

The Flyers’ Eric Lindros could make his 1996-97 debut as early as Saturday at home against the San Jose Sharks.

Bryan McCabe, another ex-Chief, scored 45 seconds into overtime to give the New York Islanders a 5-4 win over Vancouver in Uniondale, N.Y.

Bourque, Coffey top balloting

Defensemen Ray Bourque of Boston and Paul Coffey of Hartford lead Eastern Conference players in fan voting for the NHL All-Star game in San Jose, Calif.

Bourque has 14,166 votes and Coffey 14,069. Coffey’s name appears on the Western Conference ballot but, since being traded to Hartford from Detroit, he’s eligible to represent the conference in which he currently plays.

New Jersey’s Bill Guerin (10,670), and Florida’s Ray Sheppard (8,049) lead the wingers. The Rangers’ Mark Messier (8,129) tops the centers and Florida’s John Vanbiesbrouck (10,815) leads the goalies.