Heritage Classic glory for Senators

Cody Ceci scored a second-period goal as the Ottawa Senators downed the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 before a crowd of more than 50,000 in the all-Canadian Heritage Classic.

The Senators posted their first win in three games and kept pace in the race for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Canucks suffered their ninth loss in 10 games and remained on the bubble in their quest for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Clarke MacArthur, Erik Karlsson and Colin Greening – into an empty-net with 1:33 left in the game – also scored for Ottawa.

The game was designed as a tribute to the 1915 Stanley Cup final series between the eventual-champion Vancouver Millionaires and Ottawa Senators.

The Canucks wore maroon and cream-colored Millionaires replica jerseys while the Senators sported duds similar to those of their predecessors.

Coaches wore varsity-styled jackets rather than their usual suits.

Flyers’ overtime drama

The NHL’s outdoor series was forced to go indoors as the B.C. Place Stadium roof was closed due to rain.

Philadelphia’s Vincent Lecavalier scored at 2:45 of overtime as the Flyers rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 5-4 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Trailing 4-2 entering the third period, the Flyers started their comeback when Jakub Voracek scored a power-play goal at 11:58.

The Flyers were given a five-minute advantage when Dmitry Orlov was given a major penalty for boarding Brayden Schenn at 9:33.

Claude Giroux sent the game to overtime when he scored his second goal of the game with 65 seconds left in the third.

Adam Hall also scored for the Flyers, Kimmo Timonen had three assists and Steve Mason made 25 saves.

At Newark, New Jersey, Matt Nieto scored the go-ahead goal at 6:20 of the third period and Alex Stalock made 21 saves as the San Jose Sharks defeated the Devils 4-2.

Logan Couture and Raffi Torres also scored and U.S. Olympian Joe Pavelski had the primary assists on the tying and winning goals as the Sharks won for the fifth time in six games.

Patrick Marleau iced the game with a breakaway goal with 2:25 to play, his 25th of the season.

The Florida Panthers beat the New York Islanders 5-3 after Scottie Upshall scored twice in the third period as part of a four-goal Panthers surge.

In other games, the Boston Bruins downed the New York Rangers 6-3, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3, the St. Louis Blues overcame the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 and the Anaheim Ducks were 5-3 winners over the Carolina Hurricanes.