Buffalo Sabres defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 – NHL Recap
Nathan Gerbe lit the lamp twice to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, at HSBC Arena on Friday night.
Thomas Vanek hit the net in over-time and assisted twice, while Jason Pominville also added a goal for Buffalo, which is now at the sixth place in Eastern Conference with 94 points.
"The guys wanted it bad tonight. It was loud and it's exciting. We put a lot of work in and this one feels better than the other ones." said Vanek.
Jhonas Enroth was benched after giving up three goals on 19 shots. Ryan Miller finished the game in the net, turning away all eight shots he faced.
Scott Hartnell tallied a goal and an assist, while Kris Versteeg also found the back of the net for Philadelphia, which has dropped its season-high fifth consecutive contest and is at the top of the Atlantic Division with 104 points. Danny Briere had another
goal and Sergei Bobrovsky was beaten for all four goals on 29 shots.
Philadelphia got the scoring of the game started with nearly 9 minutes remaining in the opening period. The goal was set up by Briere, who sent a nice pass in the slot, where Hartnell picked it up and blasted a high shot in the left post.
Buffalo knotted the game at 1-1 with just 25 seconds into the middle period, when Gerbe took advantage of a turnover and ripped a long shot past Bobrovsky. The Sabres then took a one-goal edge, 2-1, nearly four minutes later, as Pominville snuck behind the
Flyers defence and jammed a forehanded shot into the net.
The Flyers pulled the game even at 2-2 in the eighth minute of the second period, as Versteeg unleashed a wrist shot from the left wing off a 2-on-1 short-handed rush. Philadelphia then went on top, 3-2, just 40 seconds later when Hartnell sent a pass to
Briere, who rifled a left-wing shot that found its way to the net.
Bobrovsky stopped Pominville’s shot in the last minute of the middle period to secure the Flyers’ one-goal edge.
Buffalo equalised the scoring at 3-3 halfway through the final period. It happened as Gerbe rushed to the right wing and stopped inside the right circle. He then lifted a spinning backhander that found its way through traffic and under the crossbar.
"I want to be a guy who scores big goals, and for me to do that is pretty special," the diminutive Gerbe said of his slick move. "I thought it was going to hit the bar and go out, so I was kind of just praying that it would hit and go in."
Vanek finally sewed up the win with a 4-3 lead just 1:15 into the extra session, when he brought the puck through the middle of the Philadelphia’s defensive zone, split two defenders and fired a backhanded shot past the goalie.
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