Sabres snap Flyers' streak

The Flyers' offense, among the NHL's best this season, looked sluggish for 40 minutes last night before awakening in an electric third period.

It was too late.

The Flyers huffed and puffed but couldn't overcome a 2-0 third-period deficit as they dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to the Buffalo Sabres in front of a sellout crowd at the Wachovia Center.

"Playoff-like hockey, good intensity," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said after his team ended the Flyers' winning streak at five games.

The Flyers, who averaged 4.6 goals a game during their winning streak, had more good scoring chances in the third period than in the first two periods combined. They outshot Buffalo by 15-5 in the final period, but Ryan Miller made a handful of late saves to halt their comeback.

Buffalo went 2 for 7 on the power play; the Flyers were 0 for 4.

In the first two periods, the Flyers were guilty of six penalties - three more than the Sabres - and it took them out of their rhythm.

With the Flyers on a power play and trailing, 2-1, early in the third period, Danny Briere was cross-checked in the stomach by Buffalo's Chris Butler. Briere retaliated with a high stick and received a double-minor.

"It was just a reaction . . . but it's definitely not a penalty you want to take at that point," Briere said. "I think the whole game, that's what got us in trouble. We spent way too much time killing [penalties]. We've been good lately, but we kind of got away from that.

"A team like Buffalo that has a lot of skill and good players on the power play, you can't give them so much time."

The Sabres avenged last week's 5-2 loss in Buffalo.

"We had a good start tonight, but then we started taking penalties and giving momentum away," Flyers captain Mike Richards said. "It's hard to find your legs when you're killing penalties the whole first period."

Down by 2-0, the Flyers got to within a goal when Chris Pronger scored on a point drive with 17 minutes, 17 seconds remaining. Darroll Powe set a screen in front, and the puck whizzed past Miller's glove.

Less than four minutes later, Paul Gaustad, who was in a brief scrum with Pronger in the first period, redirected a point shot by Tyler Myers past Ray Emery. The power-play score, with Briere in the penalty box, gave Buffalo a 3-1 lead with 13:35 left.

Jeff Carter dug out a loose puck and scored a shorthanded goal on a rebound, getting the Flyers to within 3-2 with 9:39 to play.

Eight nights earlier, Dan Carcillo scored two goals in the victory at Buffalo. Carcillo has been much more disciplined this season, but he took an early penalty that led to the game's first goal last night.

The left winger got into a pushing match with Myers and cross-checked the defenseman, leaving the Flyers shorthanded after 1:28.

Thomas Vanek cashed in with a power-play goal, scoring on a one-timer from the slot.

Tyler Ennis gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead when he scored from the right circle, using a spin-around shot and putting it between the legs of Emery, who slid from the left post to the right post and seemed out of sync.

"The guy started to go behind the net and I went too early and found myself on the wrong side of the net, and I tried to get back and got a piece of it but it snuck in there," Emery said. "It's one you want to have back."

Ennis, making his NHL debut, arrived from Portland of the AHL about 11/2 hours before the game. The center replaced Drew Stafford, who suffered a hip injury the previous night.

Breakaways. Forward James van Riemsdyk missed the game with the flu, and Riley Cote was inserted into the lineup for the fourth time this season. . . . Defenseman Ryan Parent, who had missed four games with a groin injury, returned and was paired with Oskars Bartulis. Danny Syvret was a healthy scratch.