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Flyers vs. Sabres Recap: Sabres Lose Heartbreaker In Final Seconds

The Buffalo Sabres scored three goals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. This is a rare feat for this team, it has only happened ten other times this season where the team has scored three or more times. It is even more rare for it to happen in front of Jhonas Enroth, who has gotten goal support of three or more goals just twice. The team is 7-2-1 overall when they score a bunch of goals and only just 1-1 with Enroth in net.

After Tuesday night, that record can go to 1-2.

The Sabres squandered an early lead and gave up the game winning goal with just 14.8 seconds left on the clock in a 4-3 loss to the Flyers. Vincent Lecavalier scored his seventh goal of the season on a screened shot that went through a handful of players. That was the fifth goal scored between both teams in the final 13:33 of the third period. Before that, only two goals had managed to find the back of the net.

The Sabres got the scoring started just seven minutes into the game when Cody Hodgson found the back of the net. The goal is Hodgson’s ninth of the season and it came on just the second shot on goal for the Sabres in the game. The Flyers wouldn’t score in the first, so it was the fifth time this season that the Sabres would hold a lead after the first period. The team was 1-2-1 in the previous four games.

The Flyers got themselves on the board just 1:40 into the period on their first of two power play goals on the night. Jakub Voracek scored from the side of the net on a nice cross crease pass from Wayne Simmonds that went through two Sabres defensement that were standing in front of net.

The floodgates opened in the third period as Matt D’Agostini scored six minutes into the period to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. That lead would be relinquished seven minutes later as Brayden Schenn scored and was followed up quickly by Scott Hartnell. In a span of 27 seconds, the Sabres lead had disappeared and the team found themselves trailing. But, Tyler Ennis was able to find a seam in Steve Mason’s pads with just three minutes left in the period to tie the game at three. The Sabres appeared to be earning a point in their ninth straight home game until the Lecavalier goal in the final minute. The regulation loss is the first for the Sabres at home since December 5th against the Rangers.

Jhonas Enroth Played Better Than His Record

Jhonas Enroth now has a 1-9-4 record on the season and halfway through the third period, it appeared that he was on pace for his second win of the season. Even though his record gives one perception, Enroth’s baseline numbers are pretty solid. After Tuesday night’s four goals, His goals against average jumped to 2.57 and his save percentage dropped to .913.

Enroth kept the Sabres alive at times including a first period save that could be considered for save of the year:

Zenon Konopka, Faceoff Specialist

The newest Sabre to join the roster this season had a solid game in the faceoff dot for the first two periods. Konopka won all twelve draws he took in the first two periods. He was used in a handful of different scenarios, as half the draws happened in the defensive zone and he even registered some power play time as he was thrown out to take the draw and then immediately get off the ice. His faceoff percentage dropped in the third period where he lost five of nine draws, including getting bowled over in the final draw of the game,

His overall game was not as good as he took two bad penalties which led to both of the Flyers power play goals. Coach Nolan talked after the game how the fourth line couldn’t take penalties like that and eluded to some lineup changes coming for Wednesday night’s game against Toronto.