For the second game in a row, Buffalo couldn’t maintain the momentum after an early lead, as they fell 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers this evening.
The Sabres scored a rare first period goal after 18:28 of play while on the power play. After numerous close chances, Tyler Ennis threw a shot from the side of the Flyers net that flew behind Flyers goaltender Ray Emery. Tyler Myers leapt in before Emery could cover up, and poked the puck into the net for his second goal of the year.
It was the first time all season that Buffalo went into the first intermission with a lead.
The second period was less kind to the Sabres, who gave up two goals less than two minutes apart late in the frame.
Flyers right winger Matt Read notched his first of two tallies on the night at 14:09. Steve Downie hurled a perfect pass his way from the corner, and Read finished the play with a laser of a shot as Ryan Miller stood helpless trying to cover Downie.
Read’s second occurred after a failed clear by Myers from the Buffalo zone. Read eventually got the puck and skated in alone on Miller, firing it into the top of the net with Miller down on his belly.
The Flyers all-but sealed the contest at 9:58 of the third while on the power play. Vincent Lecavalier recorded his eight goal of the year on an absolute blast from afar that found its mark in the top corner. Claude Giroux added an empty-netter with just 11 seconds left in the game.
It was the first time all year that Philadelphia secured a win after their opponent scored first. The Flyers continued a string of excellent hockey, which now includes a 6-2-1 record in their last nine games.
The Sabres dropped their third in a row with the loss. Buffalo has only scored four goals during that span.
Penalties were a particular problem for the Sabres this evening. Buffalo took eight minor penalties over the course of 60 minutes, twice finding themselves down two men for an extended period of time.
Buffalo’s next matchup likely won’t be much easier for them. The Sabres will be off until Sunday, when they welcome the Detroit Red Wings to First Niagara Center for a 5 p.m. contest. It will be the second meeting between the two teams, who first met in on October 2nd in Detroit, where the Wings took a 2-1 victory.