Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Michael Raffl returned to the lineup and
notched the game-winning goal late in the third period to lift the
Philadelphia Flyers past the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Sunday.
Matt Read also scored and Ray Emery made 21 saves for the Flyers, who have
earned a point in nine straight game (6-0-3) for the first time since March
8-26, 2011.
“We took it to them in first,” Emery said. “I think we are keeping it simple
and sticking to our system.”
Nikita Zadorov provided Buffalo’s lone tally and Michal Neuvirth stopped 28-
of-30 shots in the team’s third straight loss.
The Sabres have lost five straight games to the Flyers for the first time
since Nov. 21, 2008 to Nov. 6, 2009.
Raffl, who missed the previous seven games with pneumonia, provided the
deciding tally with 7:15 left in regulation as he emerged from behind the net
and beat an unsuspecting Neuvirth on a wraparound through the pads.
Buffalo pulled Neuvirth with under a minute to play, but was unable to force
overtime.
The Flyers struck first as Read was stationed in front of the net and
deflected Wayne Simmonds’ shot from the left point 3:19 into the game.
After being outshot 15-5 in the first period, Buffalo had good chances early
in the middle stanza as Johan Larsson rang a shot off the post and Tyler Ennis
was stopped in tight on a partial breakaway.
The Sabres took advantage of a full two-minute 5-on-3 advantage past the
midway mark of the second.
Moments after Chris VandeVelde was stopped on a short-handed breakaway,
Zadorov ripped a hard shot through the pads of a screened Emery from the top
of the right circle for a tied game at 13:57.
Game Notes
A moment of silence was held prior to the game for former Sabres defenseman
Steve Montador, who was found dead in his Ontario home on Sunday at the age of
35 … Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn also came back from a 12-game absence
due to a broken foot … Buffalo defenseman Zach Bogosian, who was acquired
from Winnipeg on Wednesday as part of the Evander Kane trade, had 11 hits over
24:49 in his debut … Raffl also scored the game-winning goal in
Philadelphia’s 4-3 win over Buffalo on Jan. 17 … The Sabres last defeated
Philadelphia on April 13, 2013 … The two teams will meet again at Wells
Fargo Center on Thursday.
