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BOX SCORE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Jay McKee managed just one goal during the
regular season. He matched that total Saturday, giving the Buffalo
Sabres control of their playoff series.
McKee wristed a shot past Flyers goaltender Roman Cechmanek with
1:58 left in overtime to lift Buffalo to a 4-3 victory over the
Philadelphia Flyers and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern
Conference quarterfinals.
|  | | Dominik Hasek makes one of his 32 saves on Philly's Paul Ranheim in the second period. |
"It was the biggest goal I ever scored," said McKee, who had
never scored in 27 career playoff games and had just one goal in 74
appearances this season.
Game 3 is Monday night in Buffalo. In the second round of the
playoffs last year, the Flyers won four straight against the
Pittsburgh Penguins after losing the first two games at home.
But Philadelphia, which earned home-ice advantage in this series
by beating the Sabres 2-1 in Buffalo on the last day of the regular
season, is 2-8 overall when it loses the first two games of a
playoff series.
"It's a disappointing loss," Flyers forward John LeClair said.
"We're in a bit of a hole, but it's not impossible to climb out
of. We found that out last year."
Buffalo's Dominik Hasek made 32 saves, and Curtis Brown scored
the game-tying goal early in the third.
Cechmanek, who allowed a total of just two goals in a four-game
sweep of Buffalo in the regular season, stopped 37 shots.
As the fast-paced overtime neared end, McKee took a pass from
Erik Rasmussen and wristed the puck just inside the far post.
"I just hopped on the ice after a line change and I started
going hard into the zone," McKee said. "I got a great pass from
Erik. I was just hoping for a rebound, but I was lucky to catch the
far side."
Philadelphia had taken a 3-2 lead by scoring two goals in 1:41
of the second.
LeClair took a lead pass from Derek Plante, streaked down the
left wing and fired a shot from just outside the right faceoff
circle through Hasek's five-hole to tie it at 2.
Mark Recchi stuffed the puck between Hasek's legs after Michal
Sykora fired a shot that hit Sabres defenseman Richard Smehlik in
the chest and landed in front of the net, giving the Flyers a 3-2
lead with 4:37 left in the second.
But Brown tied the game after winning a faceoff, skating around
two defensemen and wristing a shot past Cechmanek 3:09 into the
third.
"The teams are so tightly matched that you could probably play
for days and come out of it up one or down one," Brown said.
Hasek denied Dean McAmmond on a breakaway midway through
overtime and made sprawling saves on Rick Tocchet and Ruslan
Fedotenko.
"He kept them in the game," Flyers coach Bill Barber said.
"We had some real good opportunities and couldn't put it away."
Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead when Daymond Langkow scored during
a two-man advantage in the first.
Miroslav Satan tied it at 1 on a power-play goal just 47 seconds
into the second.
The Sabres took a 2-1 lead on a fluke goal by Alexei Zhitnik
that deflected off Dan McGillis' skate and between Cechmanek's legs
midway through the second.
McAmmond nearly won it in regulation, but his shot hit the
crossbar.
Cechmanek, the first NHL goaltender to beat Hasek four times in
one season, made several key saves in the second period, including
two point-blank stops that followed giveaways in the Flyers' zone.
"He played an outstanding game," Hasek said of Cechmanek, his
backup on the 1998 Olympic champion Czech Republic team.
"You can't blame Roman for any of the goals."
Game notes
The game was interrupted for nine minutes midway through
the first period after a pane of glass along the boards near the
penalty box was shattered by a shot from Philadelphia center Kent
Manderville. It didn't appear anyone was hurt. ... Flyers center
Keith Primeau, out with a knee injury, said he will practice Sunday
and might play in Game 3. ... Cechmanek made two of his trademark
deflection saves off his helmet on shots in the first period and
overtime. ... Philadelphia is 0-5 in overtime playoff games at the
First Union Center.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Buffalo Clubhouse
Philadelphia Clubhouse
Sabres-Flyers Series Page
RECAPS
Detroit 4
Los Angeles 0
Buffalo 4
Philadelphia 3
San Jose 1
St. Louis 0
Pittsburgh 2
Washington 1
Edmonton 4
Dallas 3
Toronto 3
Ottawa 0
Colorado 2
Vancouver 1
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Buffalo's Jay McKee scores the game-winning OT goal against Philadelphia.
avi: 1745 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Daymond Langkow beats two Buffalo defenders for the goal.
avi: 862 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Miroslav Satan slices through Phildelphia's tough defensive wall to score.
avi: 1135 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Alexei Zhitnik sneaks the puck past Roman Cechmanek for the goal.
avi: 867 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
John LeClair's slap shot scores for Philadelphia.
avi: 1052 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Mark Recchi shoves the puck underneath the legs of Dominik Hasek for the goal.
avi: 1678 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Buffalo's Jay McKee explains his game-winning shot against the Flyers and looks ahead to Game 3 (Courtesy: ABC Sports).
wav: 225 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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