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(Sports Network) - The Buffalo Sabres hope they are finally out of their early-season funk and will try for a third win in four games when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at Wells Fargo Center.
The Sabres began the season with a 1-4-1 mark, but have since won two out of three and are coming off their most lopsided victory of the season, a 6-1 trouncing of the Devils in New Jersey.
Ryan Miller stopped 26 shots in Saturday's easy win over the Devils and Thomas Vanek scored twice to give him three goals on the season. Tyler Ennis also had a goal and an assist in the win.
"We worked hard tonight and it paid off," said Vanek. "We got the puck to the net more and it worked. Today we got a few breaks our way and were able to put the puck in."
The Sabres are dealing with a couple of injuries on defense as both Shaone Morrisonn and Craig Rivet are questionable for tonight. Rivet has sat out one game with a shoulder injury, while Morrisonn has missed the last five games with a groin problem.
Buffalo is playing the second test of a four-game road trip tonight. All three of the Sabres' wins this season have come away from HSBC Arena.
The Flyers, meanwhile, enter tonight having dropped four of their last five games and are coming off Monday's regulation loss in Columbus. Mathieu Garon stopped 28 shots and Derick Brassard notched the game-winner on a power play in the second period as Columbus slipped by Philadelphia, 2-1, at Nationwide Arena.
Ville Leino notched the lone score for the Flyers, who failed to build off Saturday's 5-2 victory over visiting Toronto. Brian Boucher once again was the hard-luck loser, despite making 23 saves.
"It's completely frustrating," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette. "We got exactly what we deserved tonight. You don't show up to compete, you don't execute, you don't play the game with energy and emotion, you're going to lose all the time."
Rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky could get the start for the Flyers tonight rather than use Boucher on back-to-back nights.
The Flyers, who recently wrapped a five-game homestand, are 2-3-0 at the WFC this season.
The Sabres posted three wins in four games against the Flyers last season, but Philly still has five victories in the last eight encounters. However, Buffalo has come out on top in two straight and four of its last six trips to the City of Brotherly Love.
