Sabres 1, Flyers 0
Sabres 1, Flyers 0: Jhonas Enroth made 29 saves for his third career shutout as host Buffalo blanked Philadelphia to inch closer to contention in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff scored the lone goal off an odd bounce 17 seconds into the third period as the Sabres remained six points behind the eighth-place New York Rangers, who posted a 1-0 overtime win over the Islanders on Saturday. Enroth stopped 10 shots in the first period, eight in the second and 11 in the third for his first shutout since Nov. 18, 2011.
Ehrhoff’s shot from the point sailed wide of the net and caromed off the end boards before deflecting in off the skate of Steve Mason, who finished with 20 saves. The Flyers have scored a total of three goals on a four-game losing streak that has all but eliminated them from playoff contention..
Philadelphia pulled Mason with 93 seconds remaining in an attempt to tie the game but Enroth turned aside shots by defenseman Kimmo Timonen, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds in quick succession to maintain Buffalo’s advantage. Enroth had a little luck on his side as well when former Sabre Danny Briere's shot hit the crossbar in the final second of the contest.
The Flyers finished 0-for-3 with the man advantage and their power play - ranked third in the league - has not scored in 16 opportunities following a five-game stretch that saw them go 6-for-9.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Philadelphia rookie D Oliver Lauridsen got into his first NHL fight in his seventh career game, dropping the gloves with Buffalo RW Patrick Kaleta 91 seconds into the first period. ... Buffalo C Kevin Porter assisted on Ehrhoff’s goal and leads the team with six points in April. ... The Sabres took the three-game season series after a 5-2 win at home to open the campaign and a 3-2 loss in Philadelphia on March 10.