Philadelphia Flyers edge past Buffalo Sabres, 5-4: NHL Play-offs Recap
Danny Briere recorded the game-winning goal in the third period to carry the Philadelphia Flyers to their first 5-4 win in these playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 of an Eastern
Conference quarter-final set, at the Wells Fargo Centre on Saturday night.
Dan Carcillo and Ville Leino both lit the lamp for Philadelphia, which lost a 1-0 decision in Thursday's game and won against Buffalo despite finishing just 1-for-10 on the power-play.
Sabres are 25-1 in the play-off contests when scoring at least five goals.
Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk both also hit the net, while Sergei Bobrovsky started between the pipes, giving up three goals on seven shots. Brian Boucher then Bobrovsky and finished
with 20 saves in the victory.
Thomas Vanek found the back of the net twice and Cody McCormick notched a goal for Buffalo, which was looking to take a commanding 2-0 series advantage. Andrej Sekera also added a goal
and Ryan Miller was beaten for all five goals on 34 shots in the losing effort.
"Sure. I thought the first period I think it was back and forth, you know it was a tight game. Second period I think we took too many penalties and they got rewarded for it. The third
we had our chances, didnt get it and still got a 5-on-5 goal to get it within one. We threw what we had at them and it just wasn't good enough tonight," Vanek said.
The Flyers got the scoring of the game started just four minutes into the first period, when Giroux fooled the Sabres' defender between the circles and fired a wrist-shot past Miller for
1-0 lead.
Buffalo got a chance to score but was unable to take advantage on a 22-second 5-on-3 advantage. However, the Sabres knotted the game at 1-1 just less than three minutes later. It happened
so when Bobrovsky failed to score on the one-man advantage when the puck was down low, but Marc-Andre Gragnani flipped a pass into the crease where Vanek stuffed it home.
The Flyers went on top, 2-1, again just 37 seconds later. The goal came when Kris Versteeg’s snap shot was stopped by the goalie, but Carcillo, who was left all alone at the tip of the
crease, get rid of a defender and easily chipped the rebound into the net.
The Sabres pulled the scoring even at 2-2 again on a power play about 2 ½ minutes later. It started when Vanek swept the puck from behind the goal line to the right post through a pile
of bodies and jammed into the net. The goal was confirmed after a brief review that showed the puck banked off Bobrovsky's back and went into the net.
Buffalo then took 3-2 lead with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the opening period, when Andrej Sekera exited the penalty box, skated on a 3-on-1 rush and blasted a shot inside the right post.
Boucher was benched after this goal and the move paid off only 44 seconds later, when Riemsdyk slammed a low shot past the goalie inside the right pipe to tie the game at 3-3.
The Flyers notched one-goal edge, 4-3, on a 39-second power play with about 6 ½ minutes left in the second period. Steve Montador created a 5-on-4 by tripping penalty and Leino snapped
a shot through a screen from the left circle.
The Flyers took two-goal edge, 5-3, in less than two minutes later, when Scott Hartnell banged a rolling shot from the point that caromed off Briere's skate in front and deflected past
Miller.
Buffalo crept within another goal to make it 5-4 game just over six minutes into the final session, when McCormick unleashed a backhander into the net.
Sabres had a chance to score but failed to capitalise on a subsequent man advantage. Miller was pulled out of the net for an extra-attacker with over one minute left in the third period,
but Buffalo failed to advance the puck into the Flyers' zone until the buzzer.
Tags: