Kaleta smokes two Flyers on his first shift and its raised the ire of Carcillo, Pronger and the Fly Boys. Both teams finsihing their checks with purpose and fury. Kaleta detonated six Flames Friday night and he's picked up where he left off.
1-0 BUFFALO
@ 3:11, Vanek squirms free downlow and scores from in tight. #26 draws first blood in this important roadie.
HDTV is the Vanek Mechanic
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How is it that Pronger ALWAYS gets away with the third and fourth crosschecks during goal mouth scrums? This guy gets way too much leniency with that stick of his.
Fair trade: Goose takes Pronger off the ice for gooning it up.
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2ND PERIOD:
Goose and Pronger still in the clink.
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Flyers are begging for trouble taking all of these penalties.....
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Timmonen gets away with an elbow to Teeks's mouth while Philly on the PP. No call on Timmonen. no worries. Teek's got a bunch o'chiclets already missing!
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Philly have 1 shot on goal midway through the period. Buffalo have only three to this point.
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Tallinder is hammered by Ian Laperriere and heeads straight to the Bufalo bench.
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Not a lot of flow at all by either team. John Stevens is keeping the third man high to deny the Buffalo stretch pass.
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2-0 BUFFALO
@ 14:50, Ennis has been a menace to the Flyers thus far, and he just scored his 1st NHL goal in his first NHL game.
Blood and guts effort on this play. Set up by Teek and Kaleta. Nice entry, recover, forecheck by Kaleta.
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3RD PERIOD:
Mac and Pommer flank Roy to get 'er goin.
Hecht Teek and Kaleta follow.
37-28-22 next.
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2-1 BUFFALO
Pronger's routine wrister from the right point evades miller, who heard it. Millsie did not see it coming.
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Vanek takes a slash just after the Pronger goal. Moments later, Briere kills his team's 5 on 4 by hacking Butler in the face, drawing blood. Danny Boy draws a 4 minute double minor.
4 on 4 for a 90 seconds...
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Buffalo PP
Ennis is robbed by Emery. on a point blank roof daddy attempt.
3-1 BUFFALO
@ 6:25, Honk for the Goose. PPG.
Big goal from Mair and Myers.
Sabres 2 for 6 on the PP.
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Pronger can't resist sitting in the box for two or less. He throws the puck into the seats, and gets a delay of game.
BUFFALO PP
3-2 BUFFALO
Carter and Richards absolutely devour Buffalo PP and the result is a shorthanded goal. Carter would not be denied. The Buffalo PP tried carrying the puck rather than rimming it in and they got burned.
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The Carter goal has given philly renewed optimism.
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8:00 minutes remain in the third period. Miller is standing tall. He can't be faulted for the shortie. The D and forwards were very passive in their own end.
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@ 14;32, Briere gets his lumber up in the face of Hecht who retaliates with a slug. Jochen sits two or less...'
Philly PP
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94 seconds remain in regulation, and stevens calls a timeout.
Roy wins the faceoff and Buffalo ices the puck.
91 seconds left.... Emery pulled for the extra attacker.... Sabres ice it.
15 seconds left- Lindy calls timeout. Faceoff in Buffalo end. Goose takes the draw with his 69% success rate.... Goose loses draw... puck touched by high stick with 1.9 seconds left.
Game over.
Redemption for Buffalo. They avenge the 5-2 loss in Buffalo at the hands of the flyers last Friday night.
3-2 Buffalo
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MILLER MAKES 29 SAVES FOR HIS NHL LEADING 12TH WIN OF THE SEASON.
Miller wins three games in four nights. Winning games on back to back nights against NHL heavyweights, Calgary and Philly.
Drew Stafford will sit with a wonky hip. Ennis will get his NHL debut.
Ennis, the former Medicine Hat Tiger, has 6 goals and 13 points in Portland this season. Ennis where last season he scored 54/41 in 61 games.
You'll likely see Ennis run and gun with Connolly and Roy.
Great to see Ennis, Myers, and van Riemsdyk get the call to contribute for their big clubs.
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Don't break your arm patting yourself on the back for the convincing shootout win againsst Calgary on Friday night.
To a man, that's the message in the Buffalo room right now.
Lindy Ruff loved his team's 65 minutes of demolition, construction work and battle, to say nothing of the four round exhibition to award the bonus point. Calgary pushed hard on their first three shifts. That's their calling card: pound you in the mouth and steal your lunch money. Langkow lit the lamp. Adam's Apples tensed on the Niagara Frontier and throughout the Golden Horseshoe, looked like the Sabres would blink first in this sadistic game of chicken. Rather than retreat, Buffalo pushed, punched, and pulled up the boot straps. Adam Mair chucked the knucks with Prust; Kaleta applied facials, and collapsed kidneys and ribcages; Goose slammed Phaneuf to the dancefloor; the PKers threw bodies in shot lanes and denied time and space with active sticks and fast feet; Miller was Miller.
Calgary blinked first.
Time to turn the page.
Flyer plumbers (and I use this team with the utmost of respect) Dan Carcillo, Ian Laperriere, and Carrot Top Hartnell absolutely jacked the Sabres in their own barn. The game has been sticking in the collective craw for eightt days now. Ruff pulled Miller to boost his squad. Didn't work.
Ruff wants revenge tonight. His charges want to redeem themselves.
You think last night was a "statement game"? Tonight will be a bar fight. The Flyers have won five straight and will start Emery again. Killer Miller gets redemption.
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Ask any Sabre player and he'll look you in the eye and tell you that he's not happy with his personal performance from Friday 11/6 when Ray Emery and The Fly Boys skated out with a 5-2 drubbing. It was Miller's worst, and shortest performance of the season.
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The Flyers second in the NHL with an average of 3.67 goals per game.
Miller is stubborn and proud as Hell. He'll put his 1.75 GAA and .940 save % on the table. Once again, somehing has to give.
Who blinks first?
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No word yet if Mike Grier's strained groin keeps him out of tonight's game. Adam Mair will fill in if Griersie cannot answer the bell. Kaleta looked and acted like he'd been skating on the line with Hecht and Kennedy all season long. PK was oustanding in his psychological warfare with Iginla, Phaneuf, Reghyr, and Kipper.
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