Flyers fall in Buffalo 5-2

January 20, 2013

Box Score (ESPN.com)

As time in the third period started winding down, the Flyers would have at the very least been going in to overtime with a 4-4 tie against the Buffalo Sabres.

But the referees waved off two potential Flyers goals, and Philadelphia would end up losing 5-2.

Ruslan Fedotenko deflected in a slapshot from the point in the first period, but the refs immediately waved off the goal, ruling that Fedotenko pushed Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller. In other words, goaltender interference.

Then late in the third period, with the Flyers down 4-2 and in need of a goal, Wayne Simmonds scored in a mob in front of the net. But the refs ruled no goal, insisting that the play was blown dead before the puck went in the net.

Sean Couturier (1, 2:23) scored his first goal of the season, by deflecting in a slap shot by Kurtis Foster in the first period. That goal tied the game 1-1.

Then Claude Giroux (2, 4:57) scored in the second to make it 2-1 and  give the Flyers their first lead of the season. It was also Giroux's second straight game with a goal.

However, the Flyers struggled with penalties on Sunday afternoon, and constantly being on the penalty kill didn't help the them.

Philadelphia had 11 penalties during the game, and the Sabres were able to score three power play goals against them.

Buffalo's power play goals were scored by Steve Ott in the first (1, 11:07), Thomas Vanek in the second (1, 15:54), and Tyler Myers in the third (1, 19:12).

Cody Hodgson scored for Buffalo in the third (1, 16:13) and Thomas Vanek (2, 19:12) scored one more time for Buffalo on an empty netter.

The Flyers are now 0-2-0 in the first two games of the season.

They will have Monday off, then play the defending Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

Injury Note: Zac Rinaldo left the game in the first period with a lower body injury. NBC's Pierre McGuire said Rinaldo was limping down the tunnel to the Flyer's locker room when he left the game. Later in the broadcast, McGuire revealed that Rinaldo had been cut by a skate. CSNPhilly.com's Tim Panaccio reports that Rinaldo needed 20 stitches in his leg. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Sam Carchidi tweets that Rinaldo is uncertain for Tuesday night's game.

(Image from CSNPhilly.com and USA Today)