Philadelphia 2, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 5, 2012
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees:
Marc Joannette, Don VanMassenhoven
Linesmen:
Matt MacPherson, Bryan Pancich
Attendance:
19873
By SportsDirect Inc.
FLYERS 2, SABRES 1: Rookie Matt Read scored to snap a tie with just under 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period as host Philadelphia knocked Buffalo out of postseason contention.
The Sabres were officially eliminated moments after their loss to Philadelphia, as Washington finished off a 4-2 victory over Florida.
Defenseman Marc-Andre Bourdon scored and Ilya Bryzgalov finished with 25 saves for the fifth-seeded Flyers, who will face the Keytone State-rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Former Flyer Ville Leino scored and Ryan Miller turned aside 33 shots for the Sabres, who fell to 25-1-2 when leading after leading after two periods.
With the game tied at 1-1, Read skated past veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr at the blue line and then cut in on Miller before beating him with a wrist shot. Read's tally was his 24th - and fourth in seven games.
After a scoreless first period, Leino opened the scoring with 2:34 remaining in the second. Drew Stafford's shot hit the post and Leino crashed the crease to bury the rebound for his eighth goal and second in three games.
Bourdon leveled the contest at 6:05 of the third period after his point shot sailed past a screened Miller for his fourth goal.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Philadelphia enjoyed a 17-9 margin on the scoreboard en route to winning all four meetings with Buffalo. ... Leino left Philadelphia after signing a six-year, $27 million deal in the offseason. The 28-year-old Leino recorded a career-high 19 goals last season with the Flyers. ... Sabres defenseman Alexander Sulzer missed the game due to personal reasons. He flew home to Nashville prior to the contest.
Top Game Performances
| Buffalo |
|
Philadelphia |
|
Ville Leino 1 |
Points |
Marc-Andre Bourdon 2 |
|
Ville Leino 1 |
Goals |
Marc-Andre Bourdon 1 |
|
Robyn Regehr 1 |
Assists |
Marc-Andre Bourdon 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Ryan Miller .943 |
Save Percentage |
Ilya Bryzgalov .962 |
|
Ryan Miller 33 |
Saves |
Ilya Bryzgalov 25 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Buffalo
|
26 |
1 |
0-2 |
1-1 |
4 |
23 |
| Philadelphia
|
35 |
2 |
0-1 |
2-2 |
6 |
25 |
Upcoming Games
-
Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Flyers have a W/L % of .435 after a win and .771 after a loss.
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Sabres have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .500 after a loss.
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