Flyers come alive to flatten Sabres

Less than 24 hours after their coach gave them a tongue-lashing in the media, the Flyers responded Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

For one night, at least, they showed the intensity - and their trademark hell-bent forecheck - that had been missing in some games.

For one night, their power play came to life and they got production from more than one line.

For one night, they mostly resembled the team that clawed its way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season.

Flyers 6, Buffalo 3.

In one of their best all-around performances of the season, the Flyers defeated the Sabres and rebounded from a listless 2-1 defeat in Columbus the previous night.

Danny Briere, Nik Zherdev, Darroll Powe, Claude Giroux, Jeff Carter, and Andreas Nodl scored for the Flyers, and goalie Sergei "Bob" Bobrovsky improved to 3-2.

The Flyers, who came to life after Sean O'Donnell won a first-period fight over Buffalo's Cody McCormick, scored three power-play goals - as many as they had in their first eight games. They were 3 for 35 on the power play before Tuesday.

Buffalo trimmed a 5-1 lead to 5-3 on two third-period goals, but Nodl scored an empty-netter in the closing minute.

In their first nine games, the Flyers' offense has pretty much consisted of Briere, who has anchored the team's best line, which includes Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell.

Briere, 33, scored his seventh goal in nine games to tie the score at 1 with 4:45 left in the opening period. It was just the Flyers' fourth power-play goal, three of which have been scored by Briere.

Lurking beyond the goal line, Briere took a pass from Carter and scored from the left side against his former team, putting his own rebound past Ryan Miller on the short side.

It was the second time Briere generated a scoring chance from near the goal line.

"I had so much time.  So I told [Carter], 'Next time, let's try it again.'  They were letting me walk in," Briere said. "The first time, I hit Chris Pronger in the slot, but his stick broke.  The second time, I tried to take it to the net."

Briere is having his best October since he scored nine goals in the month in 2005. He finished that season with 25 goals in 48 games with Buffalo.

"It's always a little special when you play against an old team," Briere said. "I still have some good friends on the other side, but you try to leave that off the ice."

Briere's goal offset a power-play score by Thomas Vanek. Stationed in front, Vanek had Steve Montador's point drive bounce off his right knee and past Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky made two difficult stops early in the second period, turning aside Paul Gaustad and Michael Grier from in close.

About a minute later, Zherdev scored his second goal of the season, beating Miller from the slot. Miller, the Olympic hero for Team USA, came out of the net and Briere was behind him - Buffalo argued he was in the crease - but the center apparently was pushed into the area by a Buffalo player.

After he scored to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead with 15:17 left in the second, Zherdev - who has struggled in the first few weeks - punched the side glass with joy.

In what finished as a two-on-none, Powe knocked in Giroux's goalmouth feed to make it 3-1 with 8:16 left in the second period.

Less than three minutes later, Giroux added a power-play goal - his shot deflected off the skate of Buffalo's Grier - and triggered a mocking singsong chant of Mil-ler . . . Mil-ler . . . Mil-ler."