It was Brian Boucher who got the start for the Flyers in goal as we went to this first game 7 of this years Stanley Cup. Roy, Hecht and Sekera were in for the Sabres, Connolly, Kaleta and Montador out.
It only took 2.57 for the first penalties to be called in this one, Briere and Gragnani going for roughing.
The Flyers had the first great chance through Giroux. He skated down on Miller and deked past him, the netminder sprawled in the crease. He went to slide it in as he was running over the goal line to the side of the net and could only manage to put it against the post. A couple of Flyers following up the play had 2nd chances but hit the puck against Miller as he was prone.
All the early pressure was by the Flyer with Briere being robbed on the wrap around attempt, the Flyers outshooting the Sabres 7-1.
The Sabres got the 1st powerplay chance with 4.37 left in the period, Briere going for boarding but it was Giroux and Richards breaking out on the shorthand that created the best chance. Giroux found Richards rushing to the net and he redirected just wide as Miller moved side to side.
Richards had a similar chance with 40 seconds left and a 3rd opportuniy with less than 30 seconds left, this time firing into the chest of Miller. It was all the Flyers in the 1st period, and they got the go ahead goal with 19 seconds left on the period. Coburn fired a soft wrister in from the blueline and Grier reached to try and block it. He changed the path of the puck and sent it through the five hole of Miller as he was moving to try and get in line with the shot.
The Flyers were outshooting the Sabres 16-2 at the end of the period, Buffalo really hadn't got going.
The Sabres got their 1st powerplay chance right at the start of the 2nd period and it started with some early pressure around Boucher but no one able to poke the puck into the net.
Ennis then got a chance at the side of the net but he couldn't get the puck from backhand to forehand quick enough to put it past the prone Boucher.
A penalty on Myers at 4.40 saw the Flyers go on the powerplay and get their 2nd goal as Richards drove a puck hard to the net with a slapshot and it deflected infront off a crowd right to Briere who tapped the puck in beyond Miller. Myers came out the box and had words at the ref, clearly feeling he was cheaply called on that one.
Another Philadelphia powerplay led to another goal. With Butler sitting for hooking, Van Riemsdyk got the 3rd on a redirect infront of the net. Giroux hit the snapshot as Van Riemsdyk got a great stick on the puck infront of Miller to send it high into the corner.
Buffalo had a great chance with just over a minute left, Buffalo taking the puck to the net and Stafford getting the puck from behind the net and jamming it near post, Boucher getting his pad down to that shot and then to Hecht on the follow up as well.Carle took a penalty infront holding Gerbe and sending the Sabres on the powerplay. There were 2 more penalties only 14 seconds later that kept the game at 5 on 4 going into the 3rd.
The Flyers were outshooting the Sabres 27-14 and the Sabres needed a huge 3rd period to get back into this game.
Leino made the Sabres task almost impossible 1.59 into the period, skating down the wing and absolutely lasering a shot across Miller and into the far top corner of the net. Ruff pulled Miller at this point for Enroth as the Flyers crowd upped the noise level inside the Fargo Centre.
Buffalo got back into the game with a Myers goal at 6.33 gone in the period, Stafford playing the perfect feed back from the bottom of the circle to the slot to find the oncoming defenceman who shot the puck in to break Boucher's shut out.
It wasn't to be the start of the great comeback though as Carcillo got the Flyers 5th. Enroth made the save on the forehanded wrist shot but couldn't stop the follow up backhand as Carcillo was falling to the ice. There was still 10 minutes left but the Sabres were back to needing 4.
They got the difference down to 3 with 4.39 remaining. A powerplay goal with Timmonen sitting a Holding call. Myers played a hard pass from the point to Derek Roy who centred it to Boyes and he tapped it in with the backhand.
Enroth made a great save with the glove on a 2 and 0 break which would have seen the Flyers dispose of any nerves they may still have had heading to the end of the game. If there was any nerves, their needn't have been. The Flyers had already done enough in this game in getting that 3-0 lead through 2 periods. They had been dominant for almost the entire game and the Sabres just couldn't match their skill levels.
Ennis took a slashing penalty for the Sabres with just under a minute left as the crowd stood for the reamainder of the game to cheer their heroes on. The Sabres ended with Butler taking another slashing penalty at 59.41, the Flyers playing out a 5 on 3 behind their own net as they progressed to the Eastern Conference Semi Finals.
Take nothing away from the Sabres, they played a fantastic series having come into it as massive underdogs. They had shut down the Flyers in 2 games and kept all the others close. Having led 3-2 and having game 6t on home ice to go through themselves they had set up their chance but lost in the overtime period and game 7 was just a game too far. The Flyers hadn't performed as well as you might have expected and i felt they were due a big game at some point. This was it. They stopped the Sabres getting anything going forward in the early stages and got the lead that would see them through.
A great series with the best team deservedly coming through in the end.
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