Manderville Is One Grounded Flyer

The hockey gods are starting to play with Philadelphia’s Kent Manderville.

Last Saturday against New Jersey, Manderville entered his 100th consecutive regular-season game since his last goal. Tack on 18 playoff games, and the drought grows even longer.

In fact, it goes all the way back to Oct. 2, 1999, when the center scored in Boston.

“He works so hard, that’s why you feel so bad,” forward Rick Tocchet said. “If a guy floats around, you wouldn’t really care.”

But Game 100 might have been the cruelest for the 29-year-old Manderville, now in his 10th NHL season.

Midway through the second period of the Flyers’ 6-3 victory over the Devils, Manderville skated down the left side and ripped a shot at the New Jersey goal.

The puck squirted through the pads of Martin Brodeur and appeared to be headed into the open net ... but it struck the side of the right post and stayed out.

“I was so tired and I took a shot at the end of the shift,” Manderville said. “There’s going to be a time when I shoot the puck, not expecting it to go in, and it will go in.”

It finally did, at 5:46 of the third period, when Manderville converted a rebound with the Flyers enjoying a delayed-penalty call.

Play is supposed to stop only when the penalized team gains control of the puck. Brodeur stopped a shot, but sent the rebound right to Manderville.

Referee Kerry Fraser incorrectly whistled a stoppage of play, before the shot, negating the goal.

“I talked to Kerry Fraser and he felt really badly about that after,” said Manderville, who has 27 career goals. “He knew that he goofed up, but what can you do? You’ve got to laugh.”

Even Tocchet had a laugh.

“If I ever go to Atlantic City, I’m not going with him,” Tocchet said.

Manderville had a better idea.

“You’d think you’d want to take me and bet the opposite of whatever I’m betting,” he said.

Through Thursday, the streak stood at 102 regular-season games--120 including playoffs.

“All I have to do is keep shooting and it will find its way,” Manderville said. “You look at Sports-Center, every night there’s goals like that.”