Flyers win 2-1, knock Sabres out of playoff chase

April 6, 2012

Box Score (Courtesy of ESPN.com)

Getty Images, Flyers.NHL.com

The Flyers already sit comfortably in the middle of the playoff seeding. The only thing left for them to do is prepare as much as possible for their first round series against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins next week.

Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres were still trying to fight for that eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, and needed the win to stay alive.


The Sabres had just one problem. They have not been able to beat the Flyers all season.

The Flyers and Sabres have played each other three times this season, and the Flyers have beaten them all three times.

Was the fourth time the charm? Nope.

The Sabres only took three shots on goal in the first period. The Flyers tripled that with nine shots (still a bit low), but it was clear that both teams were trying to not make any mistakes early.

In the second period, the Sabres took a 1-0 lead when the former Flyer Ville Leino was able to score in the middle of a mess in front of the net. Leino'goal was only his eighth of the season (17:26).

In the third period, the Flyers took Buffalo's lead away.

Marc-Andre Bourdon (4) ripped a slaphot past goaltender Ryan Miller to tie the game 1-1 (6:05).

Getty Images, Flyers.NHL.com

With a little over four minutes left in the third, Jakub Voracek dumped the puck out of the Flyer's zone along the boards in center ice. Matt Read got control of the puck, deked past Buffalo defenseman Robyn Regeher to get on a breakaway, then scored on Miller for the go-ahead goal (24, 15:39).

The Flyers took 35 shots on Miller, he saved 33. On the opposite end of the ice, Ilya Bryzgalov saved 25 of Buffalo's 26 shots.

The Flyers won by a 2-1 final, and Buffalo's playoff chase was over.

The Sabres still would have been in the playoff hunt going into their last game of the season, but they needed the Washington Capitals to lose to the Florida Panthers in their game Thursday night as well.

The Capitals won 4-2.

Pittsburgh beat the New York Rangers 5-2 Thursday night also, so the Flyers are now officially locked in as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Penguins secure the fourth seed.

The Flyers play the Penguins in Pittsburgh in the final game of the regular season on Saturday, before the two rivals face each other in the Eastern Conference Quarter Finals next week.


Extra Notes: The Flyers presented their team awards before the game, click here to see who received the awards.