Nikolay Zherdev scored the game-winner and Brian Boucher stopped 35 shots to help the Philadelphia Flyers take a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Boucher was tabbed the starter after replacing Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period of Game 2. The 34-year-old made 20 stops on 21 shots to help the Flyers win Saturday's contest, then turned aside 11 shots in the third period on Monday and helped the team kill off a long 5-on-3 as Philadelphia took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Danny Briere and Jeff Carter each posted a goal while Kimmo Timonen added an empty-netter for the Flyers, who will look to take a commanding lead in the series in Game 4 on Wednesday night in Buffalo.
Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe each had a goal while Ryan Miller stopped 22- of-25 shots in the loss for the Sabres, who were just 1-for-6 on the power play in the contest.
The Flyers were holding a 2-1 lead and Zherdev, who had been a healthy scratch for the first two games, extended that with 3:16 to play in the middle frame.
Kris Versteeg was able to pick the pocket of a Buffalo player along the right boards and sent a hard pass over to the left circle. Mike Richards gathered the puck and fired a pass down to the low right side where an uncovered Zherdev tapped the puck in.
Buffalo again made it a one-goal game 1:28 later as Tim Connolly fired a shot from the right circle that Boucher stopped, but he let up a big rebound that kicked out to the left side and Gerbe shot it over the glove.
Boucher made a nice stop on a low shot from Tyler Ennis at the low right side 3 1/2 minutes into the third period to keep it a one-goal game.
Buffalo was awarded a golden opportunity to tie the game as, while on the power play, Darroll Powe took a foolish charging call to give the Sabres 75 seconds worth of 5-on-3 play.
During the advantage, Ennis again found himself down low, but Boucher again came up with the stop and the Flyers' penalty killers were effective in keeping the play away from Boucher for the rest of the power play.
From there, Philly was able to keep Buffalo from generating any solid chances and Timonen sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final 20 seconds.
The Flyers' power play went just 1-for-15 in the two home games, but they were successful on their first chance early in Game 3.
With Patrick Kaleta in the box for roughing, Carter tried to throw the puck deep from the neutral zone, but it hit off a Sabre. The frustrated winger was able to catch up to the disc at the right circle and fired a shot into the net at the 4:42 mark.
Buffalo, though, answered with a power-play marker with 8:05 left in the first as Jason Pominville sent a pass from the right circle over to the front as Stafford snapped a wrister into the left corner through a screen.
Scott Hartnell was issued a double-minor for interference and delay of game after checking a Sabre and knocking the net off its moorings with 3:21 to play in the first, but Philly was able to kill of the penalty and took a 2-1 lead at the 2:44 mark of the second.
Hartnell found himself with the puck behind the right side of the net and was able to push it out front where a breaking Briere one-timed it into the right corner as Miller dove and kicked his legs into the air.
Notes: In 29 career playoff games, Boucher has never been pulled...The Flyers snapped a five-game playoff road losing streak to the Sabres, dating back to Game 3 of the 2001 Eastern quarters...Bobrovsky was listed as a healthy scratch on Monday, and Michael Leighton served as Boucher's backup...Zherdev's goal was the first playoff marker of his career...Hartnell turned 29 on Monday...Andreas Nodl sat out the game with an upper-body injury and was replaced by Zherdev...Sabres defenseman Jordan Leopold, who sat out the past 10 games with a broken bone in his left hand, played in the game and finished minus-one with two shots.
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