After blowing a 3-0, third-period lead Monday
in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Flyers, Buffalo had no such
concerns this time, building a 4-1 lead after two periods and
pulling away.
The Sabres ended an 0-15-3 skid that began after a 4-1 win at
New Jersey on Feb. 23.
Playing his 22nd NHL game, Fogarty padded the Sabres' lead to
3-1 with his second-period goal, then assisted on Casey
Mittelstadt's score later in the frame.
Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar also scored, Jacob Bryson, Rasmus
Ristolainen and Kyle Okposo each posted two assists, and Linus
Ullmark made 31 saves for Buffalo, which also snapped an 0-9-2
home skid.
Ivan Provorov scored and Brian Elliott allowed four goals on 16
shots before being pulled for Philadelphia, which had won two
straight overall and five straight against the Sabres.
After Sean Couturier hit the goal post in the opening seconds,
it seemed as if Philadelphia would be the early aggressor.
However, Buffalo scored first when Reinhart ripped a shot toward
the net that caromed in off the inner thigh of Flyers defenseman
Justin Braun at the 9:32 mark of the first period.
The Sabres made it 2-0 nearly 2 1/2 minutes later. Riley Sheahan
blocked a Philadelphia shot at the point, corralled the puck,
then broke in before stopping, spinning and putting a pass on
the stick of a trailing Lazar, who blasted the one-timer past
Elliott.
Philadelphia, got on the board 3:50 into the second period when
Provorov, the overtime hero on Monday, drove a laser from the
point to make it 2-1.
Buffalo, however, answered when an unchecked Fogarty easily put
in the rebound of Ristolainen's shot with 10:18 to go in the
middle frame. Fogarty then delivered a cross-slot pass to
Mittelstadt, who went five-hole on Elliott with 4:21 left in the
second to increase the margin to 4-1.
Montour added his late goals, one an empty-netter, 37 seconds
apart on the same Philadelphia power play.
--Field Level Media
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