Flyers Roll Over Sabres 5-2

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) – Danny Briere posted a goal and three assists as the Philadelphia Flyers rallied to down Buffalo, 5-2, at HSBC Arena.

“It didn’t have much to do with that. It was just one of those nights where I was getting the bounces and a good effort from my linemates as well,” Briere said when asked if his performance came as a result of being left off the roster for the All-Star Game.

Briere leads the Flyers with 22 goals but fellow forward Claude Giroux got the nod for the January 30 contest in Raleigh.

Scott Hartnell added two goals and a helper for the Flyers, who won their fourth straight game and extended their lead atop the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference over idle Pittsburgh to three points (59-56).

Sergei Bobrovsky shook off a shaky first period and tied a career high with 38 saves for the win.

Paul Gaustad and Cody McCormick tallied in the opening 20 minutes for the Sabres, who had won four of their last five coming in.

Ryan Miller was tagged in the loss for four goals on 32 shots.

Ville Leino’s tally at 2:17 of the third period put the Flyers ahead, as he went to the front of the net to follow up Briere’s shot and saw the puck carom off his skate and in. A brief review upheld the call on the ice.

On the following shift, James van Riemsdyk had his wraparound chance bounce off the crossbar and was swept away by Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers.

Mike Richards did eventually give Philadelphia a 4-2 edge at 11:36, when he stepped in front of a Sabres defenseman at the right point, settled a bouncing puck, broke in alone and beat Miller on the backhand.

Miller was summoned to the bench for an extra skater with more than two minutes left, and Hartnell hit the empty net at 18:05.

“I was really happy to see us respond in the third period to win the hockey game,” said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette. “The first one was sleepy and the bounces were going against us, but I thought we corrected that.”

Buffalo hit the scoreboard five minutes into the contest as Gaustad managed to slip a third-chance rebound under a sliding Bobrovsky. Myers unleashed the original chance from the right circle, and McCormick followed up before the goal.

McCormick made it 2-0 one second shy of the midway point of the first period, when his backhand flip of a loose puck from the goal line banked off the Flyers goaltender and in.

Philly responded at 12:41 on the power play when Kimmo Timonen cranked a shot from the left point and Hartnell tipped it home while providing a screen in front.

The visitors knotted the game with 1:49 to play in the second, as Briere was able to take in a deflected pass by Timonen and roof it from the left post.

“They’re dangerous when they get open,” Miller said of the opposition. “In the third period we failed to get the puck deep, we gave away a few and they were sniffing for some offense, always facing up ice and that’s how they got their successful rushes.”

Philadelphia has won seven of 10 over Buffalo since the start of the 2008-09 season…The Flyers have also won five of their last six in western New York…Bobrovsky also stopped 38 shots in a 5-3 win at Montreal on December 15…Buffalo hasn’t beaten the Flyers in regulation at home since December 21, 2007…Briere recorded the fifth four-point game of his career and his fourth with the Flyers. His last was November 23, 2009 at Colorado…Hartnell’s three-point game was a season high and his first since November 2, 2009 against Tampa Bay.

Flyers Travel To Buffalo To Face Sabres Tonight

(Sports Network) - A five-game point streak has the Sabres back to the .500 mark halfway through the season. Getting above the mark could prove difficult versus the Flyers, who are off to their best performance at the midway point in five seasons.

Philadelphia goes for a fourth straight victory this evening in Buffalo at HSBC Arena.

The Flyers are 26-10-5 through 41 games following a recent home-and-home sweep of the Devils and they have nine victories in their last 12 games overall. The last time they had 26 wins at this point of the season was 2005-06.

After a two-goal victory in New Jersey last Thursday, the Flyers finished off the quick sweep of the Devils with a 2-1 triumph on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Danny Briere notched his fifth goal in six games and team-leading 21st of the season, while Brian Boucher made 34 saves.

James van Riemsdyk also scored in the first period for Philadelphia, which is one point ahead of Pittsburgh for the most in the Eastern Conference.

"I think the first period was probably our best period of the three," Briere said. "These afternoon games are always a little tougher to get into it seems. The most important part is that we found a way to win especially winning back to back against the Devils."

The victory also ensured head coach Peter Laviolette a spot as one of the co- coaches at the upcoming All-Star game. He will share duties with Vancouver bench boss Alain Vigneault.

"I've never been to one before so it will be fun," Laviolette told the Flyers' website "More than anything I think my spot there is the reflection of the organization and the players and their commitment to being successful. I'm grateful for that."

The Flyers begin a four-game road trip tonight and have won seven of their past nine on the road to up their season record as the guest to 13-4-3. They have played their last three games without Nikolay Zherdev due to a strained groin and he remains questionable for tonight.

Buffalo comes out of the midpoint at 18-18-5 on the season thanks to a current 4-0-1 run. That has the club 10th overall in the East and 10 points behind Northeast Division-leading Boston.

"[The .500 mark] is not where we want to be, we want to be better than that," Buffalo's Jason Pominville told his club's website. "But getting there is the first step and now it's moving on and getting above it and keep climbing."

The Sabres extended their current point streak with a 2-1 overtime victory versus the Coyotes on Saturday. Jordan Leopold scored in regulation and Drew Stafford had the game-winner with 1:48 left in the extra session.

Stafford has four goals and three assists over his last four games.

Ryan Miller turned aside 33 shots and is 10-7-1 with a 2.87 goals-against average versus the Flyers. He made 28 saves in a 6-3 setback in Philadelphia on Oct. 26 in the first meeting of the season between the clubs.

Jeff Carter had a goal and two assists for the Flyers and Briere added a score and helper. Briere, who played with the Sabres for three-plus seasons before joining the Flyers prior to 2007-08, has three goals and three assists in seven games against his former club since his departure.

Philadelphia snapped a three-game series losing streak with that victory and won for the seventh time in its last 11 meetings with Buffalo. The Flyers have won four of their last five on the road over the Sabres.

Netminder Sergei Bobrovsky made 32 saves in the earlier win for the Flyers, but Boucher could make a fourth straight start tonight. He is 3-4-0 with a 2.36 GAA versus Buffalo.