The winless streak for the Buffalo Sabres hit an incredible 18th-straight game on Monday as the visiting Philadelphia Flyers poured in four unanswered goals from the third period on, including the overtime game-winner to shock the blue and goal at KeyBank Center. The visitors emerged victorious by a final score of 4-3.
For the second-straight game, the Sabres grabbed the opening goal.
With 2:19 to play in the first period, Kyle Okposo and Curtis Lazar did some good work on the boards before Lazar found Henri Jokiharju all alone. The defenseman was allowed to skate right down the slot untouched, as the Philadelphia defense got lost in coverage and was focused on the board battle. Jokiharju beat goalie Brian Elliott with a shot through the five-hole for the 1-0 Buffalo advantage.
The Sabres doubled their lead to 2-0 early in the middle stanza when Cody Eakin ripped a wrist shot past the glove-hand of Elliott. It was Eakin's second goal of the season, and first since Feb. 23 against the New Jersey Devils.
The lead swelled to 3-0 in the second when Brandon Montour was the recipient of a sweet pass from Tage Thompson.
It was Montour's second goal of the 2020-21 campaign, as the interesting trend continued. To that point, all three Buffalo goals were the respective goal-scorer's second goal of the season.
The Flyers busted up Linus Ullmark's shutout bid just 1:50 into the third period of play. It was forward Kevin Hayes getting a puck behind the Sabres netminder to slice the Buffalo lead to two, at 3-1.
With 9:09 to play in regulation, Philadelphia upped the ante and applied more pressure. Their second goal of the third period, courtesy of captain Claude Giroux, shrunk the Buffalo lead to just 3-2.
The Flyers clawed all the way back even with just 1:29 play. Forward Sean Couturier got credit for a goal following a net-front scramble in front of Ullmark, as the Sabres officially squandered a three-goal, third period lead. Couturier's goal ended up forcing overtime, allowing Buffalo to snap a nine-game regulation losing streak.
The extra frame lasted just 42 seconds, as defenseman Ivan Provorov dropped the curtain on, what might be considered, the most deflating loss of the 18-game winless streak. Buffalo allowed four unanswered goals from the third period on to fall to 6-23-5 on the season.
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GAME SUMMARY
Goal Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 17:41 - Henri Jokiharju (2) (Curtis Lazar, Kyle Okposo)
PHI: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 2:10 - Cody Eakin (2) (Tobias Rieder, Riley Sheahan); 12:43 - Brandon Montour (2) (Tage Thompson, Taylor Hall)
PHI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
PHI: 1:50 - Kevin Hayes (11) (Travis Sanheim); 10:51 - Claude Giroux (9) (Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek); 18:31 - Sean Couturier (10) (Ivan Provorov, Claude Giroux)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
PHI: 0:42 - Ivan Provorov (5) (Travis Konecny)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
PHI: 3:56 - Nicolas Aube-Kubel (Hooking - 2 min.); 19:50 - Scott Laughton (Delay of game, puck over glass - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
PHI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 8:37 - Brandon Montour (Tripping - 2 min.); 12:16 - Rasmus Ristolainen (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
PHI: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
PHI: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Sean Couturier - PHI
2.) Claude Giroux - PHI
3.) Ivan Provorov - PHI
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What's Next:
The blue and gold play host to this same Flyers team on Wednesday night in Buffalo. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is set for 7 p.m. ET with the Paul William Beltz Pregame Show with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog starting at 6 p.m. ET on the radio home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.